Contents

This page contains only the text of the articles and columns in this issue. To see the photos and captions including the Snapshots of Our Community section, view the on-line version above or download the PDFs whose links follow this table of contents.

D-38 District Accountability Advisory Committee, Oct. 10:

First hearing held on Monument Academy high school proposal

By Harriet Halbig

The District Accountability Advisory Committee (DAAC) of Lewis-Palmer School
District 38 began its Oct. 10 meeting with a presentation supporting an
application by Monument Academy to create a high school.

Monument Academy (MA) Executive Director Don Griffin and Chief Executive
Officer and Principal Elizabeth Davis explained that MA parents had long
requested the addition of a high school for grades 9 through 12 where their
children could continue their education abiding by the same principles as the
academy’s current grade K-through-8 facility.

The current academy, now 22 years old, has a student population of just over
1,000, and the facility cannot expand due to its location.

Griffin said that planning for a high school began about two years ago.
School officials felt that they should try to offer a different approach than
the public high schools, because there are already two excellent high schools in
the district. He said that population growth in the district could support the
addition of a high school for 500 students.

Davis explained that the committee developing the curriculum for the new high
school is using a character-first approach and following the guidelines of
Strata Leadership LLC, an Oklahoma company that strives to teach leadership on
the levels of self, team, organization, and community. Students are taught such
traits as diligence, self-control, patience, and willingness to work.

The mission of the school will be to use a challenging, content-rich program
to develop good citizens and community leaders. There will continue to be
programs in the arts and athletics.

An aspect of the current MA curriculum is the concept of houses in grades six
through eight. The students are divided into groups of 30 or so, mixed grades,
to form the basis of the school day. The students do not all attend the same
classes, but this small group serves as a base where students can get to know
and support one another rather than feeling lost in a larger community.

Davis said that parents are praising this system and that students feel much
more comfortable and included as a result.

The house system will continue into the high school. With a total population
of fewer than 500 students, each class will include about 115 students, divided
into houses of 30 or so.

The plan is to open the school in 2019 with a ninth-grade class and half of a
10th-grade class and increase population each year thereafter.

Another planned feature of the new school is that juniors and seniors will
either serve an internship in the community or create a Capstone project
(long-term investigative projects culminating in a presentation or performance
to demonstrate their conclusions and presented to a panel).

Davis said MA has developed relationships with the University of Colorado at
Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Community College, and Grand Canyon University to
offer students classes that will earn college credit. MA also hopes to train its
own teachers to qualify as adjunct professors so that classes taught on site can
earn such credit.

When asked about the level of participation by MA in standardized testing,
Griffin said the school is now stressing the PSAT test and uses the NWEA
(Northwest Education Association) tests at all levels.

When asked about potential locations for the school, Griffin said they had
considered locations in School District 49 and Douglas County, but decided to
remain in District 38, favoring a district-owned 70-acre property at the
intersection of Highways 83 and 105.

Regarding staffing, Griffin said that the staff will consist primarily of
teachers at the master’s level.

When asked about financing, Griffin said that the construction and financing
of the school would be done through the sale of bonds.

Griffin said the new school may not be appropriate for all current MA
students. For example, high-powered athletes would benefit from the exposure
offered by the two larger high schools. The school is also likely to be too
small to support a marching band.

Students from other high schools can choose to attend MA, but current MA
students will have priority.

DAAC Co-chair Anne-Marie Hasstedt said the Board of Education would hear the
presentation on Oct. 12 and offer a final opportunity for public comment at its
Nov. 16 meeting.

Hasstedt called for the creation of a subcommittee to review the application
and report back to the DAAC in November.

Regular meeting

During its regular meeting, DAAC approved the nomination of Deborah Goth as
co-chair of the committee.

Superintendent Karen Brofft reported that the theme of the 2017-18 school
year is "Through Their Eyes and in Their Shoes." She commented that the lives of
students pass at a very frantic pace and that it is important for parents and
educators to take this into account.

She enumerated the achievements of this district in its accreditation with
distinction, multiple years on the Advanced Placement Honor Roll (four of the
past five years), and graduation rate.

Lewis-Palmer’s faculty is all highly qualified with over 60 percent holding a
master’s or doctoral degree, she said.

Brofft also enumerated such programs as gifted education, special needs
education, the Transitions program for students through age 21, the homeschool
enrichment academy, and concurrent enrollment, which allows students to attend
local colleges while also attending high school.

Brofft reported that STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math)
programs are now offered at all grade levels, and there is a growing vocational
program for students who do not wish to pursue a four-year post-graduate degree.

The quality education offered by the district prepares students to be
productive citizens of the community and supports high property values, she
said.

The Long Term Planning Committee is considering such aspects as the value and
viability of buildings, capacity of the facilities, physical security, energy
efficiency, and community demographics.

A new district safety and security plan that will include support for mental
health and peer support is being emphasized.

Brofft said that this is the first year in which each site created its own
budget with an effort to maintain current class sizes and workloads.

Board of Education Liaison John Magerko praised DAAC for its administration
of a recent candidate forum and spoke of his priorities during his tenure on the
school board. He has chosen not to run for re-election. He asked that community
members and district officials listen to one another and retain respect in their
discussions. He said that the district has been very transparent in its
financial dealings and urged all to educate themselves about the candidates for
the board and to vote.

Director of Personnel and Student Services Bob Foster explained upcoming
changes in the staff assessment process, saying that the rubric used for
assessment has been simplified. The rubric for assessment of principals is also
being revised.

Hasstedt announced the schedule for DAAC meetings during the 2017-18 school
year. There will be five meetings at various locations.

**********

DAAC meets five times a year. Locations vary. The next meeting will be at 7
p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at Lewis-Palmer High School, 1300 Higby Road, Monument.

Triview Metropolitan District, Sept 29, Oct. 5, 10,
and 18:

Water rates, fees evaluated; interim district manager
hired

By Lisa Hatfield

The Triview Metropolitan District board met on Sept.
29, Oct. 5, 10, and 18. This was because at a special meeting on Sept.
21, the board had announced that District Manager Valerie Remington had
gone on administrative leave after its regular Sept. 11 meeting. See
www.ocn.me/v17n10.htm#tvmd.

On Sept. 29, after OCN went to press, and on
Oct. 5, Triview held special meetings to discuss water rates and fees
and to hold an executive session to discuss personnel matters, but no
announcements were made at those meetings.

On Oct. 10, at the end of the regular meeting, the
board accepted Remington’s resignation and hired an interim district
manager, Jim McGrady of Walker Schooler District Managers.

On Oct. 18, McGrady called a special meeting, because
he saw the need for some decisions that could not wait until the next
regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 14. He and the directors also
brainstormed about ways to work more efficiently.

Also at the September and October meetings, the board
worked toward a new water use rates schedule that would both encourage
conservation and bring the water enterprise fund closer to solvency.
Since Triview bought 500 shares of renewable water in December, the
board contemplated a new renewable water fee for all residents so the
district could pay off that loan within 15 years.

Triview is a Title 32 special district inside
Monument that provides roads, landscaping, open space maintenance, and
water and sanitation services to Jackson Creek, Promontory Pointe,
Sanctuary Pointe, and several commercial areas. However, the town of
Monument provides land use planning, police, and general governance for
the district’s property owners.

Sept. 29 and Oct. 5 special meetings

The special meetings on Sept. 29 and Oct. 5 consisted
of a board workshop discussion of water rates and fees and an executive
session to confer with the district’s attorney, Gary Shupp, regarding
legal advice on personnel matters. Water attorney Chris Cummins of
Monson, Cummins & Shohet LLC, and engineer John McGinn of JDS Hydro
Consultants Inc. advised the board in the water rates and fees
workshops. Remington did not attend either meeting.

Remington’s status

At the beginning of the regular Oct. 10 meeting,
President Reid Bolander explained, "Some of our vagueness and lack of
knowledge is because the district has been without a manager in some
regards for about a month. Valerie has been on leave. The staff has been
doing an awesome job with issues as they come up, and the board has also
been trying to jump in and provide certain guidance to staff, but there
is some segment of being a little bit rudderless. Hopefully this will be
remedied fairly soon. We do have a manager, and the manager has been on
leave for the last month."

Part of the scheduled roads maintenance may be
delayed

On Oct. 10, Director Jim Otis said that last winter,
the district made plans to complete $830,000 in roads maintenance
starting in April 2017. However, "a series of frustrating events" kept
delaying the start of the project. These events included late
deliverables from Terracon Consultants Inc., which did the road
assessments, a low number of bids, higher bid amounts than Terracon had
estimated, and miscommunication between Terracon and the roads
contractor who was selected. "This is just basic Project Management 101
issues," he said.

Now that the weather is growing cool, the cape seal
weatherproofing work and the few sections of more intensive road repair
might need to be delayed to 2018. (Cape seal is like chip seal, but with
another layer of oil on top.) However, Secretary/Treasurer Marco Fiorito
said the district did still anticipate timely completion of the concrete
pan work that had been scheduled for 2017.

Note: Later, on Oct. 18, McGrady said that
the district does still hope to get $300,000 of the repairs done in
2017. See below.

Bolander explained that the district needed to
increase its water enterprise fund revenue by $300,000 over the next
three years to make up a consistent shortfall, since current revenue is
not high enough to cover the actual cost of producing the water. He said
the water fund is losing money every year and was being artificially
supported by general fund revenues. "We went years without a water rates
increase (to cover operations costs), and we were too low to begin with.
We need to get back in equilibrium," he said. Fiorito said the cost of
water and electricity for pumping has increased every year, so everyone
needs to help with that.

The Triview board consensus was to encourage district
residents to conserve water to protect declining supplies in the Denver
Basin aquifer. McGinn provided more examples to follow up with the two
previous water rates workshops. "You need a new rate structure that
makes sense," he said.

McGinn showed examples of low, medium, and high water
users for the district. Overall, Triview ought to see its typical water
user characteristic be reduced by 10 to 15 percent, because, "Your users
tend to use more water than in comparable water districts." The current
average single-family home uses 0.45 acre-feet of water a year
(AF/year); he hopes this will drop to 0.3 AF/year. In the winter, all
Triview users are similar, using about 5,000 gallons a month. However,
due to turf grass irrigation in the summer, residents each use anywhere
between 10,000 and 35,000 gallons a month, he said. For comparison, see
Academy Water and Sanitation District article.

Here is a summary of the proposed rates, on which
there will be a public hearing on Nov. 14:

In this inverted block structure, all residents would
pay $3.66 per thousand gallons for the first 6,000 gallons, but people
who use more water and climb into the higher volumetric tiers will pay
more per 1,000 gallons for that water.

McGinn said this new structure would increase
conservation pressure on upper-end users:

• The lowest 50 percent of residential users
would see a 7-9 percent total increase.

• The next 27 percent would see an 8-13 percent
increase.

• The top 10 percent of users would see a 15-22
percent total increase.

The commercial base rate would also increase by 10
percent and the consumption charge would increase to $3.93/1,000
gallons.

These changes would probably increase revenue by
$90,000 to $105,000 a year, depending on how price elasticity affected
individuals’ water use. Many residents will either make temporary or
permanent changes when the new rates go into effect. Permanent changes
include installing low-flow devices and changing landscaping to more
xeric grass and plants or even artificial turf or rocks, he said.

Residents who would like more detailed information
before the Nov. 14 water rates hearing should contact the Triview
office.

Renewable water fee discussed

The directors also discussed the implementation of a
new renewable water fee of $20 to $28 per month per residence. Vice
President Mark Melville said at $28 it would take about 15 years to pay
the $6.5 million in principal and $2 million in interest owed on the 500
shares of Fountain Mutual Irrigation Co. (FMIC) renewable water shares
purchased in December. See www.ocn.me/v17n1.htm#tvmd,
www.ocn.me/v17n3.htm#tvmd.

McGinn said that although that renewable water fee
had no relationship with actual water use, it would have a huge
psychological impact and would still cause people to reduce their water
use.

It is very appropriate that this district implement a
fee to help pay for renewable water, McGinn said. This fee would go away
when the loan is paid off in about 15 years, Fiorito said.

Note: Neighboring Woodmoor Water and
Sanitation District (WWSD) residents were required to start paying a
Renewable Water Investment Fee (RWIF) of $45/month in 2012 to pay for
WWSD’s purchase of about 3,500 AF of renewable water in the JV Ranch in
2011 in southern El Paso County. See
www.ocn.me/v11n6.htm#wwsd,
www.ocn.me/v13n1.htm#wwsd.

Cummins said that "on paper," Triview already owns
more Denver Basin groundwater (aquifer) rights than it needs for
whatever future development wishes to come into the district, because
Triview has taken steps over the last seven years to build up its
"instantly available portfolio," although it will take drilling more
wells to be able to take advantage of those water rights.

Cummins suggested that the board clarify its recent
resolution outlining how much and what kind of water developers could
provide to the district when working on a new development. When
developers do not have sufficient water rights on the land within
Triview, they must either bring other water rights to Triview that are
"suitable" for the district to use, or they must pay in-lieu-of water
fees so Triview can purchase more water.

The demand is calculated based on Town of Monument
ordinances that allocate certain amounts of water for different types of
development, Cummins said. He encouraged the new district manager,
whoever that would be, to work with the town to make sure the ordinance
makes sense, since there is some inequity in the current policy
regarding multi-family homes. They use less water per dwelling unit than
single-family homes do because of the smaller amount of turf grass being
irrigated, he said. McGinn said, "an acre of turf grass sure uses up a
bunch of water compared to apartments."

Melville was concerned that if the criteria were too
strict, it would discourage development that was needed sooner rather
than later to help the district’s financial situation. Note: 60 percent
of the General Fund and 47 percent of the water Enterprise Fund’s
revenue go to debt payments. See expense pie charts at
www.ocn.me/pdf/v17n9%2013.pdf.

The board consensus was to direct Cummins to draft
revisions to the existing resolution. Each application would be
considered on a case-by-case basis. "It has to be a water right that
makes sense for the district," he said.

Deep well needs repair

Water Superintendent Shawn Sexton’s biggest news for
the board in the operations report was that the needed repairs to Well
A-8 would cost about $83,000. He said that this is a typical cost for
this kind of repair and that all the district’s deep wells would be
starting to have this type of problem. McGinn explained that putting a
200-horsepower motor at the bottom of a 2,000-foot-deep well was a
high-maintenance element, and that fixing a deep well once a year will
start to be a regular occurrence. He added it was good that there was
time to get Well A8 repaired before the much higher pumping demands of
the lawn irrigation season begin again.

Draft 2018 budget to be reviewed

Bolander said that CPA Cathy Fromm of Special
District Solutions had just emailed the directors a very preliminary
2018 draft budget. The directors voted unanimously to acknowledge
receipt of that draft, which was due by Oct. 15, review it this month,
and discuss it at the Nov. 14 meeting.

Public comments

Seven members of the public spoke up, and their
comments included:

• Questions about the district subcontracting
certain jobs such as landscaping maintenance and snowplowing, and
concern with how Triview could manage to add Sanctuary Pointe to its
maintenance load in the future when it accepted those phases from
Classic Homes.

• The status of the alfalfa taking over where
grass should be growing on Midlands Way.

• Monument’s site plans for land use in
Promontory Pointe and Sanctuary Pointe did not include places for
snowplow drivers to push snow into cul-de-sacs without blocking
driveways.

• Thank you for fixing the Oxbow "eyebrow" green
space.

• Promontory Pointe Homeowners’ Association had a
list of detailed questions that the board discussed.

Fiorito said, "We get handed the (land use planning)
sandwich that Monument approves."

Remington resigns; McGrady hired as interim district
manager

At the end of the Oct. 10 meeting, the board went
into executive session at 7:30 p.m. When they returned to open session,
Bolander and Shupp said the board had unanimously voted to accept
Valerie Remington’s resignation and then to enter into a contract with
Walker Schooler District Managers to provide management services to the
district for a period of no less than six months. Jim McGrady of that
firm will be Triview’s interim district manager.

Bolander said, "McGrady has a lot of experience, and
we feel extremely fortunate to have him on board."

Special meeting Oct. 18 includes optimism about some
roads repairs this fall

McGrady called a special meeting of the Triview board
on Oct. 18 so that the directors could make time-sensitive decisions
about winter operations, including vehicles and operators, sooner than
the regular Nov. 14 meeting. Fiorito and Barnhart were absent.

McGrady consulted with the directors about how to
handle a shortage of employees who could operate snowplows. There are
three snowplows in place, but right now only Public Works Superintendent
Gerry Shisler can drive one. Water Superintendent Shawn Sexton said that
last year, water operators filled in that gap, but this year, the Water
Department is separate from Public Works, and none of the directors
pursued this angle further.

Two temporary employees’ contracts could be bought
out for about $7,000 total so they could become official Triview
employees; this way, the district’s insurance would cover them, and they
would be eligible to operate district vehicles, McGrady said. One other
option for snowplowing was to hire a subcontractor who uses his own
equipment, but the hourly charge for this was considerably more. The
board voted to proceed with adding these two positions, and McGrady said
he would post them.

McGrady said on Oct. 18 that he had met with several
staff members from the Town of Monument, engineers from Terracon
Consultants, and Avery Asphalt, the company doing the actual roads
resurfacing contract. The current plan is to still try to complete
concrete cross pan work, crack sealing, and repairs to "alligatored"
damage this fall, spending $300,000 and rolling the other $600,000 into
the 2018 budget. Avery, or perhaps a bigger company, will complete the
rest of the 2017 work as soon as weather allows in 2018. McGrady wants
to put the next phase of work planned for 2018 out to bid very soon so
that work can also be completed in early 2018.

Other issues covered included:

• Triview approved the purchase of a $39,000
specially-equipped truck already budgeted for the Water Department
so that it could return the truck it had borrowed from the Public
Works Department.

• Triview will try to do bid requests for road
maintenance at same time as the Town of Monument to attract more
serious bidders and capitalize on synergies.

• Parks and open spaces are being analyzed,
custom fertilized, and winterized.

• McGrady is meeting with an irrigation control
system company to take advantage of technology to make systems work
more efficiently.

• Next year Triview must prepare to spend at
least $1 million on arsenic treatment in the wastewater treatment
plant. See www.ocn.me/v17n10.htm#tvmd.

• Communication with the residents of Triview is
critical.

Caption: Triview Metropolitan District’s new
interim district manager, Jim McGrady of Walker Schooler District
Managers, left, spoke with John McGinn of JDS-Hydro Engineers at a
special meeting on Oct. 18. McGrady will lead Triview for no less than
six months, and he told OCN, "I am so happy to be here!" Photo by
Lisa Hatfield.

**********

A public hearing is scheduled for the next Triview
meeting on Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. at the Fairfield Inn, Mt. Herman Conference
Room, Fairfield Inn, 15275 Struthers Road, Colorado Springs. Meetings
are normally held on the second Tuesday of the month. Information:
488-6868 or see www.colorado.gov/triviewmetro. Triview also is on
Facebook and NextDoor.com.

Thank you so much to OCN volunteer Jennifer Kaylor for
assistance in recording events at these meetings.

Monument Academy School Board, Oct. 11:

Progress on
high school application; background checks for board members

By Jackie Burhans

The Monument Academy (MA) School Board met on Oct. 11 to review progress on
its high school application, discuss collaborating with the Lewis-Palmer School
District (LPSD) on grants, and revise board policy to require a background check
for anyone running for School Board.

Board member Julie Galusky came late. Board member Patrick Hall was absent.

Progress on high school application

Dr. Elizabeth Davis, principal and chief academic officer, reported a very
successful meeting and presentation on the proposed new high school at a LPSD
District Accountability and Advisory Committee (DAAC) meeting. She said she felt
positive about the public feedback as well as the slide presentation. Board
President Scott Saunders said he thought Davis and Dr. Don Griffin did a great
job sharing the vision of the MA High School and addressing questions.

Griffin noted that he and Davis had a district meeting that included
department heads who had many questions and clarifications. They also spent an
hour on the phone with Ryan Marks from the Charter School Institute (CSI) to
review and score the application. Griffin asked that the board attend the public
hearing on Oct. 12 as a show of support. He also noted that the subsequent
public hearing will be on Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. and that the DAAC will provide a
recommendation and the Lewis-Palmer Board of Education will consider a
resolution to accept or deny the application.

Collaborating with district on literacy grant

Davis noted that MA has been working with the district on an Early Literacy
Assessment Tool (ELAT) grant that would help pay for Dynamic Indicators of Basic
Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) testing. She has been coordinating with the
district and the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and feels that it is a
great partnership between all three entities. The goal is to make sure that
grant funds are being used in a great way for kids who need early intervention
by getting it to them as quickly as possible. She noted that she now has a
direct line to the ELAT coordinator at CDE, which is a great contact.

Background checks for board members

The MA board discussed a recommendation from members to update the board code
of conduct policy 1514 to require background checks of all new members coming on
the board. The policy would require that when a person declares an interest in
running, they must obtain fingerprints and submit a background check. Should
anything later arise that would disqualify them per the policy, they must
self-report the incident. The policy change has been reviewed by MA lawyers and
the Governance Committee. President Scott Saunders agreed that this was a good
"best practice" to adopt. The board unanimously approved this change. The policy
can be viewed online at
http://bit.ly/ma-policy1514.

Other highlights

• The October student count will report 913.82 full-time equivalent
students (kindergartners only count as .58 of a student).

• Allison Wise, MA’s English Learner teacher, got an award for "Best
Practice" for teaching the LPSD community Adult Literacy class for several
years. She was recognized by the CDE’s State Advisory Council for Parent
Involvement in Education.

• Jessica Coote, director of Extended School Servics (ESS), was presented
with an award of $1,000 for classroom supplies by the Air Force Athletics
Department. Coote was nominated by her students as their favorite teacher.

• Parent Michael O’Hare spoke to the board about supporting specific
candidates to achieve a 3-2 majority of MA supporters on the Lewis-Palmer
Board of Education.

**********

The next meeting will be on Thursday, Nov. 9 at the Monument Academy library
at 1150 Village Ridge Point. The MA School Board usually meets at 6 p.m. on the
second Thursday of each month. There will be no December meeting. Meetings are
adjusted as needed to avoid conflicts. Information on the MA School Board,
including schedule, minutes, committees, and finances can be found at
http://www.monumentacademy.net/school-board.

Lewis-Palmer D-38 Board of Education, Oct. 12:

The Oct. 12 meeting of the Lewis-Palmer D-38 Board of Education was divided
into two parts. The first was a public hearing on the application for a Monument
Academy High School, and the second covered more routine board business.

Monument Academy High School discussion

The application under discussion for a Monument Academy High School is
referred to as an expansion application since the Monument Academy (MA) already
exists.

Monument Academy Executive Director Don Griffin and Chief Executive Officer
and Principal Elizabeth Davis gave a presentation on the high school proposal.
For further information on the presentation, please see the District
Accountability Advisory Committee article on page 1 of this issue.

Davis stressed that that high school would present a curriculum stressing the
school’s current policy of emphasizing character first.

When asked about a location for the school, Griffin said they were
considering a 70-acre, district-owned property on the corner of Highways 83 and
105. Because the charter will be through District 38, it seemed wise to locate
here, he said.

Board Secretary Mark Pfoff said that the house system sounded interesting and
shows that the MA committee has thought things through.

Griffin said that each house in the current middle school has a name, a
shield, and a logo. The same will be true at the high school.

MA parent Chris Taylor asked whether the MA football team will no longer have
to play in Colorado Springs once the high school is built. Griffin said that an
attraction of this new, larger site is to make additional extracurricular
activities possible.

Pfoff pointed out that the new contract between the district and MA offers
the middle school field for the charter school’s use. The issue has been
conflicting schedules.

Griffin said that MA now has an athletic director and a band, but MA students
could have the option of playing for Lewis-Palmer or Palmer Ridge teams.

Davis said that MA now has a process to certify teachers so that Advanced
Placement (AP) courses can be taught on site and earn college credit.

In answer to a question, Davis said that the house system does not prevent
students from meeting all others in the school, but offers a supportive home
base where they can feel supported.

A number of questions were asked about the internships that will be part of
the junior and senior year curriculum.

Board President Sherri Hawkins asked whether internship hours would count
toward graduation requirements. Davis responded that the Planning Committee is
looking into the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs program to see how
it is handled.

Hawkins also inquired how the school would get the students to their
internships. Davis responded that MA does not provide transportation for its
students.

In answer to a question about the effect on class sizes at Lewis-Palmer and
Palmer Ridge High Schools in the event of this school being built,
Superintendent Karen Brofft commented that this district is growing and by the
time the MA high school would open in 2019, having an additional 500 spaces at
the high school level should alleviate overcrowding at the existing schools.

Board Treasurer John Magerko thanked Griffin and Davis for their presentation
and said that the founding of the high school would continue to provide choice
in the district.

Regular meeting

The Palmer Ridge High School Chamber Choir performed the national anthem.

Adviser Tom Patrick and staff of the Palmer Ridge yearbook and newspaper were
recognized for their award-winning publications. The Epilogue yearbook was
awarded the All Colorado award from the Colorado Student Media Association, and
the Bear Truth newspaper received numerous awards at the Rocky Mountain
Journalism Camp.

Palmer Ridge High School theater teacher Josh Belk and several of his
students demonstrated the use of improvisation and discussed its application to
real-life situations.

Dr. Stephanie Johnson, English learner facilitator, and Allisson Wise,
English learner and Adult Literacy teacher, were recognized for their
acknowledgement by the Colorado Department of Education for promising
partnership practice.

Honorees of the Lewis-Palmer Hall of Fame were recognized. See a photo of the
installation on page 25 of this issue.

Panel on frozen salaries reports

Eight members of a Frozen Committee, from different schools, collaborated to
propose several solutions to the fact that salaries were frozen beginning in
2009 and continuing through 2013 to various degrees.

The group acknowledged that the national economic downturn caused changes in
the compensation process and the fact that the mill levy proposed for staffing
of Palmer Ridge had failed, further stretching compensation funds.

All committee members testified that District 38 is a great place to work and
know that the students need them. The students weren’t directly affected by the
downturn.

Bonuses and step increases provided during this time were appreciated, but
the committee proposed restoration of lost compensation retroactive to the
beginning of the 2017-18 school year.

The committee said that restoring salaries would show an investment in the
teachers of the district and that the board appreciates their efforts and
encourages veteran teachers to stay.

Hawkins recognized the time and dedication of the committee, saying one
reason she wished to serve on the board was the commitment to a culture of
caring.

Pfoff also thanked them for their efforts and apologized for serving on the
board during the period when drastic budget cuts were taken.

Magerko commented that the committee’s work has resulted in important
conversations. The district had no idea how long the recession would last and
has had to compensate for the failed mill levy override. With the economy
strengthening, we hope we can now help.

Director Sarah Sampayo said that one of her goals in running for a position
on the board was to fix this problem.

Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Wangeman presented proposed budget
adjustments for the 2017-18 year, to include solutions to the frozen salary
issue.

Wangeman said that the Frozen Committee’s proposal could cost $643,000
annually. One source of funds could be postponing purchase of school buses
($100,000 each) and applying the savings to salaries.

Sampayo commented that school buses provide safety for the students. She
suggested that, since the district had recently spent a great deal on
technology, perhaps some of the proposed tech funding could be diverted to
buses. Perhaps some students could bring their own computers from home, she
said.

Magerko agreed that it would not be wise to sacrifice safety, and perhaps a
way could be found to purchase the needed items incrementally. Parts for old
school buses are expensive and hard to find.

Pfoff said the board has been saving money for so long that they find it hard
to spend it. The district has $6 million in reserves. Pfoff proposed spending
$300,000 on three new buses.

The board approved a restoration of lost steps retroactive to the start of
the 2017-18 school year and the purchase of three buses from reserves. The cost
of the compensation adjustment will be about $650,000 per year, to be covered by
increased enrollment and state funding.

Online high school update

Executive Director of Secondary Learning Services Lori Benton, Palmer Ridge
Assistant Principal Kim Sandoval, and Lewis-Palmer High School Assistant
Principal Bridget O’Connor reported that students are already benefitting from
the online high school program.

Three full-time students (six to seven classes) and 28 part-time students
(two to five classes) participate in the program. The provider of the classes is
Fuel Education.

Students are allowed to attend classes online for two weeks to determine
whether this is an appropriate fit for their needs before committing to it.

The online high school is useful for students who are homebound, those with
family issues or mental health problems, and those who are competitive athletes
who have conflicts in their schedules.

The district is now hiring classes, and each class is only offered at a
specific time. The hope is that some district teachers can develop online
courses.

The courses are rigorous, and the pace is difficult for some. The cost per
course is $175 plus a teacher fee.

The course is updated every night to give students and parents an idea of how
they are doing.

The online high school is open to every student. If they fall behind, the
district can request that the course be offered again.

Superintendent’s update

Brofft shared the agenda for a board retreat scheduled for December, which
would involve the newly elected director and a discussion led by Dr. Martin
Carcasson explaining the process of public deliberation.

She reminded the board that, although the election will be in November, it
often takes three weeks for results to be certified. For that reason, the new
member of the board cannot be sworn in until after the November meeting.

Brofft said that new forms for volunteers and new background checks are being
formulated in keeping with the new School Safety Act, also known as the Claire
Davis Act. She said that the act deprives schools of protection from lawsuits
unless schools show reasonable care in protecting the safety of students. The
act includes incidents in schools and at school-sponsored events. For this
reason, the district will conduct more rigorous background checks.

Brofft also reported that a recent parent survey found that 95 percent of
parents were satisfied with district special education services.

Caption: At the Oct. 12 the D38 school board meeting, the board
(left) listens as Monument Academy Chief Executive Officer and Principal
Elizabeth Davis and Executive Director Don Griffin and present their plans for a
new high school. Photo by Jackie Burhans.

Caption: Staff members of Palmer Ridge High School’s Epilogue
yearbook and Bear Truth newspaper, with their staff adviser, Tom Patrick, were
acknowledged for awards received for their publications.

Caption: Allison Wise, left, English learner and Adult Literacy
teacher, and English Learner Facilitator Stephanie Johnson, were recognized by
the Colorado Department of Education for their Promising Partnership Practice
for adult literacy and the annual international dinner. Photos by Harriet
Halbig.

**********

The Lewis-Palmer D-38 Board of Education meets at 6 p.m. on the third
Thursday of each month at the district’s Learning Center, 146 Jefferson St.,
Monument. The next meeting will be on Nov. 16.

In September and October, the Tri-Lakes Wastewater
Treatment Facility (TLWWTF) Joint Use Committee (JUC) began to plan its
2018 budget and discussed a new option that the Town of Monument is
investigating regarding indirect potable water reuse.

TLWWTF operates as a separate joint venture public
utility and is owned in equal one-third shares by Monument Sanitation
District (MSD), Palmer Lake Sanitation District (PLSD), and Woodmoor
Water and Sanitation District (WWSD).

The three-member JUC acts as the board of the
facility and consists of one director from each of the three owner
districts’ boards: WWSD board Director at Large Rich Strom, president;
MSD board Chairman Ed DeLaney, vice president; and PLSD board Director
Pat Smith, treasurer/secretary. Other board and staff members of the
three owner districts also attended, including MSD District Manager Mike
Wicklund, PLSD District Manager Becky Orcutt, and WWSD Assistant
District Manager Randy Gillette.

• The cost and frequency of sludge removal from
the facility will be greater than previously budgeted. Usually
sludge removal from the lagoons has been done every other year.
However, he has budgeted $132,000 for both 2018 and 2019, since in
2017 the contractors reached the limit of 300 dry tons and had to
stop, but they had not yet completed their sweep.

• His recommendation to change the hierarchy of
the facility to promote Plant Operator Toby Ormandy to senior
operator.

• Because the stricter total phosphorus limits
for discharge will not yet need to be met, the chemical total
phosphorus (TP) removal tertiary clarifier expansion will be
mothballed for 2018. This will save $200,000 for one year of alum,
polymer, and/or sodium hydroxide, Burks said.

• Influent phosphorus monitoring for each
individual district input into TLWWTF will be discontinued, saving
over $14,000 a year.

Note: The El Paso County District Court and
Colorado Court of Appeals results for the recent lawsuit mandated that
the costs related to the chemical TP removal tertiary clarifier
expansion be divided in thirds, and not proportionate to the unequal
percentages of the three districts’ owned flow treatment capacity. Due
to the courts’ interpretation of cost-sharing procedures in Section 3
and Section 6 of the TLWWTF Joint Use of Facilities Agreement (JUA)
regarding construction of new equipment for new treatment constituent (TP
in this case) federal EPA and state Health Department requirements, it
is no longer necessary to measure each individual district’s influent
phosphorus level. For background, see
www.ocn.me/v17n10.htm#msd,
www.ocn.me/v17n10.htm#wwsd.

The regular Nov. 14 JUC meeting agenda will include
the public hearing on the proposed final TLWWTF 2018 budget.

Information from town on
water treatment, reuse

On Oct. 10, Forsgren Associates Engineer Will Koger
visited the JUC. Forsgren is the engineering firm consulting with the
town on water and wastewater engineering issues.

Koger spoke briefly about Monument’s upgrades to its
existing surface water treatment plant for the town’s alluvial wells 4
and 5. The Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE)
required PLSD to give its approval even on small changes to the town’s
potable water treatment system. The town’s upgrades related to iron in
its alluvial water treatment plant on Monument Lake Road would cause
slight changes in the wastewater quality of the alluvial well filters’
backwash discharge into the PLSD domestic sanitary sewer system, he
said.

When asked, Koger also spoke briefly about the town’s
new proposed idea to "manage return flows" (indirect potable water
reuse) by drilling an alluvial well on Monument Creek a mile downstream
of TLWWTF and pumping that water to a new water treatment plant that
could be built on the property the town acquired at the intersection of
Mitchell Avenue and Synthes Avenue last December. See potable water
reuse plant section in www.ocn.me/v17n1.htm#mbot.

Wicklund and Burks said that the only issue with this
for TLWWTF might be that local alluvial wells are "filthy with iron,"
and the state limits how much iron TLWWTF can have in its discharge,
which would be increased by reuse water put into the system. Burks said
TLWWTF’s design does not include a method to remove dissolved iron from
its influent wastewater.

Stakeholder updates

MSD Environmental Compliance Coordinator Jim Kendrick
said that TLWWTF’s environmental attorney, Gabe Racz of Vranish & Raisch
LLP, would be representing multiple stakeholders at the Water Quality
Control Commission’s nutrient reduction rulemaking hearing on Oct. 10
for Regulation 31, "Basic Standards," and Regulation 85, "Methodologies
for Surface Water and Nutrients Management Control Regulation."

The commission will be ruling on the specific
timeline that much stricter total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen
(TN) regulations will take effect, and Racz said it would be in the best
interest of stakeholders to delay those implementations from 2022 to
2027 to give them more time to find resources to try to meet the new EPA
nutrient limits and replace the current regulations that facilities had
planned for.

The current annual in-stream median interim values
listed in Regulation 31.17 for warm plains streams like Monument Creek
are 0.17 mg/l for total phosphorus and 2.01 mg/l for total nitrogen TN.
These interim values were to become effective in the first Tri-Lakes
facility discharge permit issued after May 31, 2022.
www.ocn.me/v14n9.htm#tljuc-0812

Note: As the facility’s stakeholder
representative, Kendrick attended the Oct. 10 commission Reg 85/31.17
rulemaking hearing and will update the JUC on the outcome at its
November meeting.

Kendrick, who is a vice chairman of the Arkansas
River/Fountain Creek Coalition for Urban/Rural River Evaluation (AF
CURE), will join the other AF CURE officers and environmental
engineering consultants from Brown & Caldwell Engineering to meet with
the Colorado Water Quality Control Division to discuss stream
segmentation on Oct. 12, 2017. The stakeholders would like to divide
Monument Creek into two segments, upper/rural (north of Academy
Boulevard) and lower/urban (to the south), because this would make more
sense geographically and would affect how specific nutrient limits like
total inorganic nitrogen are applied now and for total nitrogen after
2027.

Meanwhile, AF CURE member wastewater treatment
facilities are collecting data to demonstrate the actual negligible
effects of current levels of nutrients, which meet or exceed current
regulations, on many stream segments in the Fountain/Monument Creek
watershed, and also to show how much nutrient input in the stream comes
from other non-point sources such as agricultural E. coli and
nutrient-rich fertilizer runoff into upper Monument Creek.

Financial reports

Burks’ two monthly reports included:

• No final invoice has been sent yet by Aslan
Construction for the new TP chemical tertiary clarifier expansion.

• He is negotiating with Tetra Tech, TLWWTF’s
engineers, about some final details related to the added requirement
for a fire sprinkler panel for the chemical TP removal tertiary
clarifier expansion.

Field trip to Fort Carson

Burks described his recent tour of the Fort Carson
wastewater treatment facility, and he expressed his disappointment at
its operation and how it was "not even in the ballpark" of meeting Reg.
85 nitrogen or phosphorus discharge limits. He also said "the federal
government" was dumping potable Colorado Springs Utilities water on the
ground so drinking water would not age in the pipes.

**********

The next meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 14 at
the Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility, 16510 Mitchell Ave.
Meetings are normally held on the second Tuesday of the month and are
open to the public. For information, call Bill Burks at 719-481-4053.

Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, Oct. 12:

Revegetation project at Woodmoor Ranch making progress

By James Howald

At its Oct. 12 meeting, the Woodmoor Water and
Sanitation District (WWSD) board heard a presentation from a
representative of Resource Based International about the district’s
efforts to revegetate portions of Woodmoor Ranch that were previously
used as farmland, discussed the proposed development of a trail around
Lake Woodmoor, answered questions from the public, and scheduled a
budget work session.

Revegetation project at Woodmoor Ranch advances

Paul Flack, of Resource Based International, the
contractor managing the revegetation work at Woodmoor Ranch, updated the
board on progress made in 2017, and presented plans and goals for 2018.

District Manager Jessie Shaffer said in his
introduction of Flack that in 2016 the focus of the project was on
collecting data, but in 2017 the focus switched to active remediation of
the historically-irrigated land on the ranch that the district is
required by law to revegetate with native grasses to prevent erosion.
The project, which has been underway for two years, is estimated to take
between five to seven years to complete, according to Shaffer. The goal
is to return the land to a pre-agricultural condition.

In 2017, the project irrigated 375 acres, seeded 200
acres with drought-resistant grasses, and did weed control work on 1,350
acres, Flack said. Weed control has been a challenge for the project,
and some of the land was being flood-irrigated to address high salinity.
The requirements to revegetate put in place by the water decree have
been met for 350 acres, according to Flack.

Flack said some areas needed to be dried up to
eliminate non-native grasses before being re-seeded with native grasses.
Grasshoppers were a challenge, according to Flack, and personnel changes
on the ranch were also a factor.

In 2018, the project will irrigate 230 acres, will
seed 230 acres, and will do weed control work on 1,350 acres, Flack
said, adding that he expected to bring another 275 acres into compliance
with the water decree in 2018.

Flack said he estimated the total cost of the project
would be $3.5 million to $4 million, and that "weather is everything" in
determining the final cost and timing for the project.

WWSD and the Lewis-Palmer School District propose
trail around Lake Woodmoor

Shaffer said the Lewis-Palmer D38 School District was
submitting a grant request to the Safe Routes to Schools program, which
is a federal program administered by the state, to fund the construction
of trails for students walking to district schools. Lewis-Palmer D38 has
been working on the plan for two years, Shaffer said, and was ready to
present its request by Nov. 1.

Part of the proposed trail will be adjacent to Lake
Woodmoor, Shaffer said, creating an issue for how to handle the spillway
at the south end of the lake. One solution would be to build a bridge
over the spillway, at an estimated cost of $80,000. Both WWSD and the
engineer who designs the spillway will have input into the final design,
Shaffer said.

Shaffer told the board that the school district had
asked for a letter of support from WWSD to include in the grant request.
WWSD Treasurer Jim Wyss asked that safety issues raised by increased
foot traffic on the trail be addressed in the planning for the trail.

The board voted unanimously to write the letter
requested by the school district.

Low water level in Lake Woodmoor addressed

In response to a question from the public, Shaffer
explained the reasons for the low level of water currently in Lake
Woodmoor. Shaffer said the lake, which is part of the district’s water
supply, fills with water in the winter, and the water level typically
falls by the end of the summer due to increased demand caused by lawn
watering and other hot-weather uses. In previous years, WWSD used more
well water in summer months, Shaffer said, but now water stored in the
lake is used to meet peak demands, and that cuts costs by delaying the
need to drill new wells. Shaffer pointed out that much of the water in
Lake Woodmoor is taken from Monument Creek, and that water costs
one-third of what water pumped from the Arapahoe aquifer costs.

Sessions open to public

The board scheduled a budget planning session for
Nov. 9 and a rate hearing for Dec. 14. Please check the WWSD website
(http://www.woodmoorwater.com) or call 488-2525 to confirm times for the
meetings.

**********

The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.
Meetings are usually held at the district office at 1845 Woodmoor Drive
on the second Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. See
www.woodmoorwater.com
or call 488-2525 to verify meeting times.

Academy Water and Sanitation District, Oct. 18:

The Academy Water and Sanitation District (AWSD)
board met on Oct. 18 to discuss anticipated increases in water rates and
sewer fees, and the draft 2018 budget.

AWSD includes the Pleasant View neighborhood, with
308 water taps and 292 sewer taps.

Exact sewer fees increase will be determined soon

Engineer Dave Frisch of GMS Inc. reported on the $3.1
million lift station and force main project underway that will allow
AWSD to pump its wastewater over the hill into Donala Water and
Sanitation District’s system. From there, it will go to the Upper
Monument Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility, which is equipped
to meet new state standards for ammonia, phosphorus, and nitrogen. AWSD’s current lagoon treatment system can no longer meet these
standards. See www.ocn.me/v16n3.htm#awsd0217, or
www.colorado.gov/pacific/awsd/state-compliance
for a detailed technical explanation.

Frisch said the project is "still in limbo" since,
five months later, it is still waiting for plan review comments from the
Colorado Department of Health and Environment. Other applications
already approved include the site location and the 1041 permit. The
specific calculations on the 30-year loan will be done by the Colorado
Water Resources and Power Development Authority, which administers the
Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund (WPCRF) loan for the new AWSD
lift station, and when that amount is known, the district’s needed sewer
rate increases can be determined exactly.

AWSD customers currently pay $80/month for sewer
service, and it might go up to about $92/month in 2018 to account for
the addition of the Donala sewer system user charge and the loan
payment.

Frisch anticipated that construction on the project
could begin in March. When the new lift station is completed, AWSD will
discontinue using the two old lift stations, the two lagoons, and two
blowers.

Director Steve Callicot said that at the recent Town
Hall meeting AWSD hosted to explain the history of the project and the
reason for the additional costs, residents were very positive overall.
"The message needs to get out," he said.

2018 water rates increase discussed

Treasurer Walter Reiss said he had investigated
Director Ronald Curry’s question about why the district’s reserve fund
was decreasing, and he discovered that since 2010, district residents
had steadily cut back on their water use, so revenues were not meeting
operations costs. Reiss said half of AWSD’s customers use less than
5,000 gallons/month, and only 8 percent use more than 12,000
gallons/month. For comparison, see Triview article.

The directors discussed District Manager Anthony
Pastorello’s proposal to change the water rate schedule from two to five
volumetric tiers in a structure similar to the one used by Donala, and
to increase the cost per thousand gallons in each tier. Residents who
use less water will pay less per 1,000 gallons, but people who use
enough water to climb into the higher tiers will pay more per 1,000
gallons at that point.

A public hearing will be held and a final decision
will be made this winter.

**********

The Academy Water and Sanitation District board meets
at 6 p.m. the third Wednesday of each month at the Donald Wescott Fire
Station, 15415 Gleneagle Dr. Contact District Manager Anthony Pastorello
at 481-0711 or see the district website at
www.colorado.gov/pacific/awsd/general-info.

Donala Water and Sanitation
District, Sept. 21 and Oct. 19:

The Donala Water and Sanitation District board met
Sept. 21 and Oct. 19 to acknowledge an award and to hear a presentation
on water rates.

Sept. 21 regular meeting

The absence of Director Ed Houle was excused.

On Sept. 21, the board congratulated Donala Water and
Sanitation District General Manager Kip Petersen for Donala receiving
the Annual Colorado Special Districts Association’s Collaboration Award
for the emergency sharing of Donala potable water with Triview
Metropolitan District that began on July 4, 2016 and ended on July 9.
The incident started on June 3. About 20 million to 30 million gallons
of Triview water was lost. A continuous flow of 750 gallons per minute
from Donala was established for 111 hours. Triview’s cost for Donala’s
transfer of potable water was $151,943.

The broken 5-foot section of a Triview water main
southwest of Bear Creek Elementary School leaked 20 million to 30
million gallons of water in June and July and caused a water emergency.
Although the break had been blocked off on July 9 when the leak was
found, it could not be repaired until the Army Corps of Engineers, the
Department of Wildlife, and the property owner all granted permission
for the district to access the site. The 5-foot split took only 39
minutes to repair once Triview finally was granted permission access the
leak site, which lies within protected Preble’s mouse habitat. See the
following articles for details:

The board tabled any further discussions of the
feasibility of Donala joining the Colorado Southeastern Conservancy
District until the Nov. 16 board workshop on future goals, water rights,
and strategies for financing. www.secwcd.org.

Petersen noted that he and engineering consultant
Roger Sams of GMS Inc. attended the Sept. 11 regular Triview board
meeting. Sams presented a review of current project planning, regulatory
framework, funding, and operational events and needs for the Upper
Monument Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (UMCRWWTF).
Triview, Donala, and Forest Lakes Metropolitan District share ownership
of UMCRWWTF. See the following articles for details:

The UMCRWWTF effluent discharge flume that measures
the discharge flow has been replaced. The plant’s state-approved arsenic
removal upgrades will now be constructed in 2019-20. Donala runs
UMCRWWTF for the three owner districts. Petersen presented a draft
facility budget for 2018 in September.

Petersen noted that Donala has been contacted by a
development group that will be building a 64-room extended stay MY Place
hotel on the Barash Academy Gateway parcel, the vacant lot at the
northwest corner of Struthers Road and North Gate Boulevard, near the
I-25 North Gate Exit 156. A Starbucks and a convenience store are also
planned for this county parcel, which is in Donala’s service area.
Petersen said on Sept. 21 that he also had met with the county to learn
about a major stormwater project planned at this intersection. Note:
Donala has no responsibilities beyond water and wastewater in its
service plan (charter) and is not responsible for stormwater in its
service area. www.ocn.me/v17n6.htm#epbocc

Donala’s surface water right for use of snow-melt
flows from its Willow Creek Ranch in Leadville ended on Aug. 31. Donala
stored 270 acre-feet in 2017. The total amount of stored Donala ranch
water in the Pueblo Reservoir was 280 acre-feet. Donala can store up to
499 acre-feet of ranch water in the reservoir.

The meeting adjourned at 3 p.m.

Oct. 19 regular meeting

On Oct. 19, Petersen and Sams presented a preliminary
report on a Donala rate study being performed by GMS to determine how
close Donala water rates are to paying for the actual cost of service, a
long-term board goal over the last several years. Petersen also
presented a draft 2018 Donala budget that will be voted on by the board
at a public hearing on Dec. 7.

Petersen announced the Dec. 31 retirement of Office
Manager Betsy Bray, who has worked for Donala for 24 years. Tanja Smith,
of Accounts Receivable, was promoted to replace Bray and take over the
office manager duties at this meeting to allow for some overlap with
Bray during the transition.

All five board members were present as was Christina
Hawker of Accounts Payable.

Presentation on User Charge Evaluation and analysis

Sams stated that the User Charge Evaluation examined
the cost of operations and the operations revenue required for the
two-year period of 2018-19. There was an hourlong technical discussion
about the numerous regulatory trade-offs for various risk factors for
various rate structures to meet sufficient revenue for inevitable steep
increases in both Donala’s unique drinking water treatment operating
expenses and Donala’s share of UMCRWWTF’s unique sequencing batch
reactor wastewater treatment operating expenses. Petersen noted he would
recommend a 4 percent increase for each of Donala’s potable water tier
rates and a $2 per month increase in sewage service fees for 2018.

Presentation of the proposed 2018 Donala budget

Petersen gave a lengthy in-depth presentation on his
proposed 2018 preliminary budget, with total expenditures increasing
from $8.52 million for 2017 to $8.93 million for 2018. Petersen said
that the draft budget is available at the Donala office at 15850 Holbein
Drive for Donala constituents to review. Contact the office at (719)
488-3603.

Financial reports

Petersen noted that use of renewable surface water
had been expanded in 2017 and Donala had already switched over to
treating only groundwater for the rest of the year to reduce operating
costs. Well water costs less to produce, and the wells had been turned
off entirely for more months than in previous years to extend their
service life by reducing annual consumption of this finite groundwater
source.

The financial reports were unanimously accepted as
presented.

The meeting adjourned at 4:11 p.m.

**********

The next regular board meeting will be held at 1:30
p.m. on Dec. 7 in the district conference room at 15850 Holbein Drive.
This meeting will feature the public hearing on the final 2018 budget.
Information: 488-3603 or www.donalawater.org.

The board members of the Forest Lakes Metropolitan
District (FLMD) and Pinon Pines Metropolitan Districts 1, 2, and 3 (PPMD
1, 2, and 3) met on Oct. 30 to discuss tap fees, approve a property
exclusion, and hear a development update. They announced that the
November meeting will be canceled, and the Dec. 4 meeting would include
the 2018 budget hearings and approval for all four districts.

President George Lenz, executive vice president of
finance of Classic Homes, was excused.

Higher tap fees effective Nov. 1

The board unanimously approved a resolution
increasing water development fees, or tap fees, by $3,500 effective Nov.
1. This brought the one-time tap fee cost to $12,529 for any
single-family home in PPMD 1 or PPMD 2 that had not pulled a building
permit by Nov. 1. The resolution also added a statement to the new tap
kit inspection fee in the Falcon Commerce Center commercial property (PPMD
3), saying that cost will vary based on the actual cost of developing
each parcel, said District Manager Ann Nichols.

One reason for this increase was that the new surface
water treatment plant "had cost a couple of million dollars more than
planned," said Assistant Secretary and Treasurer Doug Stimple, CEO of
Classic Homes. One family currently owns all the Forest Lakes property
as Forest Lakes LLC. Classic Homes does not own it but manages the
development and the metropolitan districts. He said Forest Lakes LLC
paid a development advance to the district and wants to get some of its
capital back, although this increase "will only fill about half the gap"
for the surface water treatment plant.

Nichols said the $3,500 tap fee increase will
generate $1 million to $1.3 million, and Tom Blunk of CP Real Estate
Capital, representing Forest Lakes LLC and Forest Lakes Residential
Development, who attended the meeting by phone, said this would be not
be termed "pledged revenue."

Background: In September, the district was
negotiating a contract "not to exceed $8.5 million" for this new
infrastructure. See www.ocn.me/v17n10.htm#flmd.

Also, the market analysis Nichols had done comparing
FLMD with Triview Metropolitan District, Donala Water and Sanitation
District, Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, Wolf Ranch, and other
districts showed that this new fee level was a fair request for new
development.

Four members of the public attended this meeting, but
none made comments during the public hearing on this resolution.

Exclusion petition accepted

The directors voted unanimously to approve a petition
for exclusion of a 159-acre parcel in the southeastern section of PPMD
2. Stimple said that this parcel is hard to access and includes some
federally-protected Preble’s meadow jumping mouse habitat. He and
Assistant Secretary Joe Loidolt, president of Classic Homes, said it
would be very expensive to provide utilities to this area and that it
would not generate enough tax revenue to maintain them. The potential
new owners plan to build just five units on the whole property and
install well and septic fields instead of trying to connect to Forest
Lakes infrastructure.

The sale of the land is contingent upon resolution of
water and septic system details with Colorado Springs Utilities, Stimple
said.

The resolution was conditional on the actual sale of
the property for this minimal development.

District Counsel Russel Dykstra said that he would
work with the petitioners and the El Paso County District Court to
finalize the details.

Development overview and town’s easement

Secretary James Boulton, vice president/project
manager of Classic Homes, said 72 homes had been sold so far this year
in Forest Lakes, and over 50 new lots in Filing 2B would open up soon.
Phase 2 was going to be submitted to El Paso County in November.

Stimple mentioned that Blunk needed to know when
Boulton was going to submit the paperwork to the county so that FLMD
could coordinate its response letter to the Town of Monument regarding
the blanket easement owned by the town. "We are trying to get them to
not have a blanket easement, and there are some other things in there as
well," he said.

Note: The Monument Board of Trustees approved
the supplemental and amended partial vacation of blanket easements in
Forest Lakes in April 2016. At the time, Town of Monument Public Works
Manager Tom Tharnish said the easements would allow the town to have the
ability to drill wells and install pipelines to access its water rights
and still allow Forest Lakes the ability to move forward with building
lots. The land in question is in El Paso County, outside the town
limits. See www.ocn.me/v16n5.htm#mbot0418.

The meeting adjourned at 10:46 a.m.

**********

FLMD, west of I-25 at the end of West Baptist Road,
is a Title 32 service district in El Paso County established in 1985.
FLMD is the half-acre operating district responsible for the public
infrastructure and utility and general governmental services for the
residents of PPMD 1, 2, and 3, which actually collect the property
taxes. PPMD 1 and 2 are not part of Monument, but the commercial section
PPMD 3 is within the town limits. FLMD holds joint board meetings with
PPMD 1, 2 and 3, which were established in 2004.

**********

The next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 4 in the
Classic Homes office at 6385 Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Colorado
Springs. Meetings are usually held the first Monday of each month.
Meeting notices are posted on the district website
http://forestlakesmetrodistrict.com and at 3625 Mesa Top Drive,
Monument, an open-space tract owned by all four districts. For general
questions, contact Ann Nichols at 327-5810 or at
anicholsduffy@aol.com.

Donald Wescott Fire Protection
District, Oct. 17:

Wescott welcomes volunteers, receives a gift

By Jennifer Kaylor

The Oct. 17 meeting of the Donald Wescott Fire
Protection District (DWFPD) included a swearing-in ceremony and the
presentation of a painting given by a local artist. Brief comments by
the staff and the public, chiefs’ reports, and other administrative
items resulted in a 20-minute review of business.

Directors Joyce Hartung and Harland Baker were
excused from the board meeting.

A bevy of volunteers join Wescott

Community support for the district shone brightly as
evidenced by the record number of volunteers sworn in. Board President
Greg Gent led five men and three women in promising to uphold "the
Constitution of the United States and the state of Colorado and the laws
pursuant thereto, and to faithfully perform the duties of volunteer
firefighters for the Donald Wescott Fire Protection District upon which
[they were] about to enter."

Fire Chief Vinny Burns stated that the training
exercises and initiations by which the volunteers learned equipment,
standards, and procedures stretched throughout the year. Burns applauded
the volunteers’ families for supporting them in their learning process.

Family and friends pinned their respective volunteers
with a badge fashioned after the Maltese cross. The badge is the symbol
adopted by firefighters worldwide and the cross’s eight points represent
"observation, tact, resource, dexterity, explicitness, discrimination,
perseverance, and sympathy," explained Burns. Treating others gently in
the face of trauma, stepping up when duty calls, commitment to the fire
service, honor, and courage culminate in the character demanded of the
badge. Burns reminded the volunteers that they not only represent DWFPD,
but all fire districts and firefighters, living and fallen. Burns,
Assistant Chief Scott Ridings, and Lt. Brian Ackerman welcomed the
initiates into the broad family of firefighters.

Following the ceremony, the volunteers presented the
professional staff with a gift expressing their appreciation for
providing the extra time and energy necessary to conduct their training.
Burns and Ridings graciously received the large wooden flag and
discussed options for displaying the surprise gift.

Painting honors first responders

Carlin Kielcheski, accompanied by his wife, Shirley,
spoke of the debt we all owe to the firefighters and police officers who
responded to the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. Kielcheski, a retired
art instructor for the Air Force Academy, painted his vision of
first-responder sacrifices in a "situation that no one could prepare
for." Kielcheski gave the painting to the district in appreciation of
the times Wescott firefighters came to his aid.

Financial status reviewed

Administrative Assistant Stacey Popovich reported
that the district’s funds now total $1.78 million, a draw-down of about
$144,500 from the previous month. The Profit and Loss vs. Actual
statement confirmed income from the wildland fire deployments of
slightly less than $48,000*. The specific ownership tax also exceeded
budget expectations by adding more than $25,000 to the district’s
income. Year-to-date total income stood at 102.6 percent of the budget.
Despite higher-than-anticipated expenses in the legal counsel; identity
insurance; station repair and maintenance; professional accreditations;
and information technology (IT) infrastructure line items, year-to-date
expenses lingered at 51.8 percent of the budget.

Note: Ridings responded to resident Gary
Rusnak’s question stating that when firefighters deploy to wildfires
elsewhere, the district receives reimbursement to pay the deployed
firefighters and the backfill (backup) firefighters’ overtime. Backfill
can be provided by either part-time or full-time firefighters, but not
volunteers.

Chiefs report dispatch and deployment activity

Ridings provided run reports for August and
September. The district switched to a new inverse-reporting system that
is tied to El Paso County’s computer-aided dispatch and generates
reports immediately, Ridings said. Wescott responded to 35 Emergency
Medical Services (EMS) and 36 fire calls in August and 27 EMS and 26
fire calls in September for a total of 124 calls over the two months. In
comparison, the total call volume for 2016 was 2,709. This is because
the district is shrinking due to Colorado Springs annexing a large part
of the district.

Ridings stated that calls include incidents such as
traffic accidents and other emergencies. In response to a question posed
by Rusnak during the opening public comments, Ridings confirmed that the
report encompassed only those calls in the remaining portion of the
district. The August and September breakdown of mutual aid included 16
and nine calls in which Wescott provided aid, and four and two times in
which Wescott received aid, respectively. Average response times were 5
minutes and 44 seconds in August and 5 minutes and 39 seconds in
September.

Ridings reported that the wildfire risk reduction
grant received for the south side of High Forest Ranch’s shaded
fuel-break project, which included the northern portion of Shamrock
Ranch, had been completed. (A shaded fuel break is a wide and easily
accessible strip of land in which trees and brush are reduced to improve
fire control opportunities.) The 50/50 matching grant provided $57,720,
and the remainder of the $115,000 total cost was covered by the
respective property owners. The project treated 82 acres at a mitigation
cost of $1,400 per acre, enhanced 30 homes with defensible space, and
treated roughly 300 acres of adjacent lands.

Burns announced that the deployment in Oregon was
completed and, although California still needed help, DWFPD had not been
called to assist.

Election will determine budget

Burns commented that "all boxes have been checked"
with regard to the Nov. 7 election. Because the district’s taxpayers
will vote to approve or deny an increase from 7 mills to 21.9 mills,
Burns stated that he would present a budget once the election was final.
Gent suggested that the board may need to schedule an additional meeting
due to the postponed budget process.

The next DWFPD Board of Directors meeting is
scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. at Station 1, 15415 Gleneagle
Drive. Please call (719) 488-8680, a nonemergency number, for more
information, or visit www.wescottfire.org. The district is also on
Facebook and Twitter.

Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District, Oct. 25:

2017 budget amended; 2018 budget hearing coming in November

By Lisa Hatfield

At the Oct. 25 Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection
District (TLMFPD) board meeting, the directors approved an amended 2017
budget, viewed new versions of both the 2018 proposed budgets, and voted
to un-freeze the chief’s and deputy chief’s salaries. They also heard
updates on the current hiring process.

Vice President Roger Lance ran the meeting in the
absence of President Jake Shirk. Secretary Mike Smaldino and Director
Terri Hayes were also excused.

2017 amended budget approved

Fire Chief Chris Truty explained the purpose of the
amended budget was to adjust the current budget based on significant
unanticipated events or organizational changes that occurred after the
normal budgeting process last fall. In 2017, these have included the
short staffing situation, the impact fee arrangement with builders, and
a move to different administrative offices. The budget is still balanced
as required by law.

No members of the public spoke during the public
hearing, and the directors then voted unanimously to approve the 2017
amended budget, which can be viewed in its entirety at
http://tlmfire.org/budget.

2018 proposed budgets reviewed

Truty presented new versions of both 2018 proposed
budgets, which included changes made based on the directors’ comments
from the September meeting.

Two versions of the budget have been prepared. If the
proposed 6.9 mill levy increase from 11.5 to 18.4 mills is approved,
revenue is estimated at $9 million and total fund expenses estimated
$8.8 million. If the mill levy stays at 11.5 mills in 2018, projected
revenue would be about $6.3 million, and total fund expenses would be
about $6.2 million. See http://tlmfire.org.

Over the last several years, Truty has consistently
explained the need to increase wages in TLMFPD to prevent loss of
experienced staff to higher-paying districts. To see many more details
and proposed dollar figures for the operating fund, capital improvement
fund, impact fees fund, emergency reserve fund, and the vehicle
replacement fund, and to see how both proposed budgets compare to the
2017 budget and what other changes Truty has suggested, see
http://tlmfire.org/mill-levy,
www.ocn.me/v17n10.htm#tlmfpd,
www.ocn.me/v17n8.htm#tlmfpd, and
www.ocn.me/v14n9.htm#tlmfpd-0827.

At the Nov. 15 meeting, the public hearing on the
2018 budget will be held. By then, the district will know if the ballot
measure was approved by voters or not.

Chiefs’ compensation restored to normal

Director Jason Buckingham made a motion that the
chief and deputy chief’s salaries, which had been frozen at the end of
2016, be restored to meet the new compensation formula that all other
ranks have been using since the beginning of 2017. See
www.ocn.me/v17n1.htm#tlmfpd.

Treasurer John Hildebrandt said he felt this was
appropriate, and Buckingham said Shirk had agreed with the idea when he
discussed it with him earlier. The motion was approved unanimously.

Financial report

Hildebrandt presented the monthly financial report as
of Sept. 30. He said overtime pay was noticeably over budget due to the
staffing shortage, but overall wages were 3.5 percent under budget, and
overall expenses as of the end of September were 2.4 percent below
budget.

Hiring process and promotions

Truty said 37 people sat for recent initial written
exams, and 23 passed. Also, 13 people took the EMS/paramedic exam, and
nine passed. Several more stages of testing will follow in a long
process, and by the end of November, candidates will be identified to be
hired and sent to the West Metro firefighter academy that starts in
January.

Truty said TLMFPD is hoping to hire three new people
to get full-time staffing to 15 per shift, and hire four others to fill
four existing vacancies that are currently being staffed by overtime,
for a total of seven new hires.

Later, Lance asked if there had been policy changes
that staff was not aware of regarding eligibility to apply for promotion
to lieutenant. Truty said it had been announced in February that
applicants would need to have their Fire Officer 1 certification in hand
in order to apply, and right now there were only one or two eligible
staff members who might apply for the two open lieutenant positions.

New radios on the way

Fire Marshal/Administrative Battalion Chief Jamey
Bumgarner said that replacing obsolete, front-line communications
equipment was well under way after TLMFPD received $365,798 in Federal
Emergency Management Agency grant money to replace outdated,
unrepairable radios with Motorolas that have a lot more capabilities.

Other topics discussed briefly included:

• The International Association of Firefighters
(IAFF) union gave away close to 500 pumpkins at Tractor Supply on
Oct. 21 and answered residents’ question about the TLMFPD mill levy
increase ballot issue. See related photo on page 26.

• It is vital to keep using social media,
including Twitter and Nextdoor, to inform residents about local
situations such as controlled burns in our area.

• The Monument Police Department and TLMFPD are
working on an intergovernmental agreement about use and maintenance
of snowmobiles that were donated to both agencies.

• Truty said he had been interviewed by the
Gazette recently as one of three local fire districts with ballot
issues being decided this fall.

The Oct. 25 meeting agenda included a summary of call
volume statistics comparing the number of runs in 2016 with 2017. The
chart said that by September 2016, there had been 1,854 total runs, and
by September 2017, there have been 1,791 total runs. The directors did
not discuss these data totals. However, Bumgarner explained some details
about the reduced number of automatic aid calls by Wescott FPD into
TLMFPD since switching the response criteria to only life-threatening
calls.

The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.

**********

Starting Nov. 1, the new leased location for the
TLMFPD administrative offices will be 16055 Old Forest Point, Suite 103,
in Monument.

Meetings are usually held the fourth Wednesday of
each month. The next two meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15
and Dec. 6 at TLMFPD Station 1, 18650 Highway 105. For information,
contact Jennifer Martin at 484-0911. For upcoming agendas, see
http://tlmfire.org/board.

Thank you so much to OCN Volunteer Joyce Witte for
recording this meeting.

Monument Board of Trustees, Oct.
9 and 16:

"Dreaming big" in capital improvements workshops

By Lisa Hatfield

On Oct. 9, the Monument Board of Trustees held a
five-year water capital improvements plan (CIP) workshop that was a
follow-up to the Sept. 18 workshop. On Oct. 16, they held a five-year
general capital improvements workshop to "dream big" about parks,
community centers, and ways to enhance Monument’s unique qualities. They
also heard about the I-25 Gap Coalition, Land Use Planning 101, and the
new Art Sites walking tour.

Trustee Shea Medlicott was absent for the Oct. 16
meeting.

Follow-up water capital improvements workshop

On Oct. 9, Town Manager Chris Lowe presented part two
of his summary of the 2018 Water Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) that
staff suggested for Monument’s potable water service area, which is
entirely on the west side of I-25. (Triview Metropolitan District and
Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District both supply potable water to some
town residents on the east side of the highway.) For part one, see
www.ocn.me/v17n10.htm#mbot0918.

"Our task is to create a sustainable, renewable water
system," he said. Staff-recommended water CIP projects for the next five
years are:

• Immediately find a way to manage return flows
(water reuse).

• Continue pursuing the Area 3 reservoir for
renewable water storage, possibly in the Home Place Ranch area of
Triview.

• Acquire renewable water rights.

• Continue updating the town’s 20-year water
master plan as development changes.

Lowe explained more about the new idea for water
reuse, different from others mentioned this year. "We could utilize
200,000 gallons, or 40 percent of our water, that just goes over the dam
every day, if we could recoup that water by doing indirect potable
management of return flows."

Town staff is proposing that, downstream from the
Tri-Lakes Wastewater Treatment Facility, they would drill shallow
alluvial wells, allowing the stream water to be filtered through the
sand. Then, the town would pump the water to a new drinking water
tertiary treatment plant at its property on Mitchell Avenue and Synthes
Avenue. This project would cost $5 million to $8 million, but it would
significantly increase the water available to the town and could be done
relatively quickly, Lowe said.

To find out if this option will work, the first step
would be to drill test wells and sample the water over the next year,
both summer and winter, to see how much natural scrubbing and dilution
happens between Monument Creek and the shallow alluvial wells. The
design process, which would require approval from the Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment, could start after that,
Lowe said.

Lowe’s additional comments included:

• An acre-foot of water weighs 17 tons, which is
a lot to pump uphill.

• If these renewable water ownership,
transportation, and storage projects are delayed, the town will have
no choice but to drill more wells into a declining aquifer.

• Small towns need regional partners. Woodmoor
Water, Donala, and Triview have all purchased renewable water that
they can’t get up here or store it up here. We need to cooperate and
form a local water authority of regional partners.

The trustees asked many more questions related to
Lowe’s comments, as well as more about any possibility of partnership
with Forest Lakes Metropolitan District or Colorado Springs Utilities.

Trustee Greg Coopman summed up by saying, "I am
incredibly optimistic. It took us awhile to get to this point."

Lowe said, "the best way to codify and put in black
and white what the board wants to commit to … would be either to make a
resolution that adopts the water CIP" including the short-, medium- and
long-term projects he had discussed. Then he would have direction to
start making connections related to the local water authority, for
example. The consensus was to direct Town Attorney Alicia Corley to
draft a resolution for their approval at the regular Oct. 16 meeting.

The mood was positive, and Lowe said, "You can be the
board that started, and finished, the long-range water plan for the
community. You will have secured the water rights, the process of
distributing water in the most cost efficient and home-ruled entity
whose profits go back into the community (instead of to Colorado Springs
Utilities. You are the board that would have fulfilled the long-term
water master plan."

On Oct. 2, Town Treasurer Pamela Smith said budget
workshops for the trustees and the public were scheduled for Oct. 28 and
Nov. 18. She told OCN that the budget was sent to the trustees for the
Oct. 2 meeting; it was not included in the board packet available
online, though.

Resolution on water CIP approved 4-2

Subsequently, on Oct. 16, Lowe’s report on the
resolution to ratify and adopt the town’s Water Capital Improvement Plan
stated, in part, "The BOT [Board of Trustees], at the workshop session
on October 9, 2017, committed to a Water Capital Improvement Plan which
will direct staff efforts with respect to the Water Enterprise and 2A
funds through 2022.… This document is meant to be the policy direction
to staff to pursue the strategy as outlined in this memorandum and as
discussed over the last couple of years."

Coopman thanked Lowe and Tharnish for the CIP. "I
think you have unanimous support on moving forward in 2018 and the big
picture for how we get to those goals. But I have concerns on the
verbiage of the resolution. What is intent of resolution?" He was
specifically concerned with this section: "Be it resolved that … the
Board of Trustees hereby approves and adopts the Water Capital
Improvement Projects as presented for the Town of Monument and by the
Mayor signing, commit the resources of the Town and staff to pursue
these projects as presented."

Coopman said that was basically asking the BOT to
commit financial resources to five years’ worth of projects, when in its
legal role it only appropriates funds on an annual basis, and that a
sitting board could not make budget decisions for future boards.

Lowe said, "All money spent by town is subject to
appropriation annually, so this just codifies that at this point in
time, the board committed to a course of action. They can change that
any time they would like." However, it would be good to codify so that
future boards are not ignorant of the intentions of this board, which
has committed significant resources in a particular path, he said. He
did not want to waste hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Trustee Dennis Murphy said he thought the five-year
approach was great and would help "keep our eye on the ball," but he had
the same concerns Coopman did. He also wanted to know how these
financial decisions would affect individual families’ budgets, and he
asked again whether the board could receive updates from staff as they
pursued other possible options with CSU.

After a long discussion and several questions to Lowe
and Town Attorney Alicia Corley on whether it needed to be amended to
add a provision that it was not appropriating any money for future
budgets, the five-year water CIP resolution was approved 4-2 without any
amendments. Coopman and Murphy voted no.

Five-year CIP workshop
includes parks, community center, and more

Before the regular Oct. 16 meeting, Lowe presented a
detailed list of other capital improvements the town might consider in
the next five years to achieve "downtown and economic revitalization."
The goal on some of these items is not core services for municipal
operations but to engage in "placemaking," or determining what unique
characteristic set the town apart from other communities. "We want
people to live, play, and work in this community," he said.

Some of his and Public Works Director Tom Tharnish’s
ideas included:

• A $2.8 million public works facility (possibly
combined with drinking water treatment plant) in 2018

• $200,000 toward a splash park at Limbach Park
with help from a hoped-for GOCO grant

• Recreation updates (and a new name!) for Park
Trail Park in 2018

• Annual streets overlay/chip seal work of
$300,000 to $500,000 from 2018 to 2022

• Permanent bathrooms at Monument Lake in 2018

• A $3 million to $5 million combined "community
and senior center," which multiple generations could appreciate, in
2019

• $1 million for trails and open space in 2020

Lowe said the board would officially direct any of
the projects to begin via the upcoming two budget workshops and budget
approval for 2018.

Mayor Pro-Tem Don Wilson clarified that no town
projects were planned for the Jackson Creek, Promontory Pointe, or
Sanctuary Pointe neighborhoods, since those are under the purview of
Triview Metropolitan District.

Lowe said he and Tharnish had met with Triview’s new
interim District Manager Jim McGrady. "He is a huge believer in
partnerships, and we are already talking about economies of scale, such
as parks maintenance. We will work on cooperating more fully. I am
excited for the opportunity to work with that board and their new
manager." See related Triview article on page 1.

I-25 Gap Coalition

Wilson introduced El Paso County Commissioner Mark
Waller, who expressed optimism about the process of widening I-25 from
County Line Road to Castle Rock. He said, "local commitment through
ballot issues" and "shovel-ready projects" created a huge advantage on
the chances getting millions of dollars in federal funding.

Waller said, "I think we are in pretty darn good
shape" and predicted that construction to widen I-25 to three lanes
north of Monument could begin in fall 2019.

Note: The Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce,
Economic Development and Visitor Center Board of Directors voted at its
most recent meeting to support two measures: El Paso County measure 1A
allows taxes raised in excess of TABOR limits to go toward the I-25
Corridor Gap improvement project, disaster recovery projects, and parks,
trails, and open space projects. Measure 5B would adjust how Pikes Peak
Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) spends its revenue and add the
I-25 Gap to the list of projects.

Land use planning workshop coming Jan. 8

At the request of the BOT, staff is putting together
a workshop called "Planning 101: An Overview of the Development Review
Process from Start to Finish." It will instruct the trustees, planning
commissioners, and board of adjustment members, and other interested
parties such as the Grow Smart Monument group.

The trustees requested that it also include
strategies on how to shape growth and actually fulfill the vision of the
community while still adhering to the legal parameters of quasi-judicial
land use decision-making.

Upcoming land use projects

Part of Lowe’s town manager report included a list of
projects headed for the Planning Commission and/or BOT over the next few
months. They include, but are not limited to:

• Wagons West Annexation, a residential
development

• Nexus, an office warehouse project

• Sanctuary Pointe, a residential development

• Dukes request, a proposal to purchase town
property

• Mikulas, a determination of permitted use.

Financial report and
checks over $5,000

The third-quarter financial report was approved as
part of the consent agenda, as were these checks:

Sky Hall, president of volunteer-run Tri Lakes Views,
presented slides of all the sculptures available on the 2017-18 Art
Sites walking tour, including those at Big Red, along the Santa Fe
Trail, and at the roundabout on Old Denver Road and Baptist Road—at
least 24 of them! This is "public art in the Tri-Lakes region of
northern El Paso County, Colorado." To see the map, ask at local
businesses or see www.trilakesviews.org.

"We are self-funded, plus help from the community.
It’s an acknowledgement that what is going on is good and we want to
continue it," Hall said. It’s almost time for the 2018 "call to
artists," and he hopes for financial help from people so they can do
more.

The meeting adjourned at 7:38 p.m.

**********

A second budget workshop is scheduled for Nov. 18 at
the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce meeting room, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

The Monument Board of Trustees usually meets at 6:30
p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month at Monument Town Hall,
645 Beacon Lite Road. The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 20. Call
884-8014 or see www.townofmonument.org for information about live video
streaming of meetings. To see upcoming agendas and complete board
packets for the Board of Trustees or to download audio recordings of
past meetings, see http://monumenttownco.minutesondemand.com and click
on Board of Trustees. To see if you live within the boundaries of the
Town of Monument, see https://arcg.is/0TTjib.

Palmer Lake Town Council, Oct. 12 and 26:

Town Council adds restrictions on marijuana-related businesses

By James Howald

The Palmer Lake Town Council met twice in October: on
Oct. 12 and Oct. 26. The council returned to the topic of
marijuana-related businesses and added restrictions to the ordinance
that defines how those businesses may operate in Palmer Lake. Updates to
the ordinance restricting outdoor burning also were debated. The council
withdrew the moratorium it recently put in place on new construction and
passed a resolution in support of the Great Outdoor Colorado (GOCO)
organization. Also, the council addressed several other administrative
issues.

Controls on marijuana-related businesses tightened

At the Oct. 26 meeting, Trustees Paul Banta and Mark
Schuler returned to the long-discussed topic of how to regulate
marijuana-related businesses in Palmer Lake. Both argued that the town’s
ordinance contained a loophole that could, under some circumstances,
allow the existing two licensees to add additional licensees within the
town boundaries.

Town Attorney Maureen Juran presented to the council
an updated ordinance that limited the number of licensees in the town to
two, while still allowing those two existing license-holders to transfer
their licenses to others. The updated ordinance requires that if an
existing license holder chooses to transfer their licenses, they must
transfer all licenses, so that there are never more than two licensees
operating within town boundaries, Juran said.

In public comments, the updated ordinance met with
objections from Dino Salvatori, owner of Palmer Lake Wellness and one of
the two license-holders legally doing business in Palmer Lake. Salvatori
argued that the updated ordinance is not what the council agreed to in
January 2016, and hindered his ability to develop his business.
Salvatori said the new ordinance would prevent him from bringing his son
into the business. Trustee Glant Havenar pointed out that Salvatori’s
son could be added to Salvatori’s limited liability corporation, and
could join the business in that way.

After a lengthy discussion that touched on the
requirement that there be a 500-foot separation between
marijuana-related businesses and many other topics, the council voted to
approve the updated ordinance. Trustees Havenar, Shuler, and Banta voted
to approve the updated ordinance, as did Mayor John Cressman. Trustees
Mitchell Davis and Rich Kuehster voted nay. Trustee Bob Mutu was not
present at the meeting.

Fire ordinance takes shape; town writes first $1,000 campfire ticket

At the Oct. 12 meeting, Town Administrator Kathy
Green-Sinnard told the council that Ordinance 23 of 2017, which
addresses outdoor burning, had been rewritten to make all open burns of
slash illegal. The rewritten ordinance allows recreational fires such as
barbecues and adds a requirement that fire pits constructed by
homeowners must be inspected and permitted, Green-Sinnard said.

Green-Sinnard mentioned that the town had recently
given its first $1,000 ticket to someone who had an illegal campfire
near the town’s reservoir.

After discussion, this ordinance was tabled at both
the Oct. 12 and Oct. 26 meetings.

Moratorium on new land use permits lifted

Cressman told the council that he felt the revised
permitting process for new construction in Palmer Lake was too expensive
for developers and put the town in the position of having to enforce
regulations that it did not have the resources to enforce.

The council voted to lift the moratorium on new land
use permits, with Banta abstaining.

GOCO gets vote of approval

Cressman told the board that GOCO had contacted the
town to ask for a statement of support for its mission, to encourage the
state of Colorado to continue funding the organization.

The council voted unanimously to write a letter in
support of GOCO.

Other administrative actions taken

• The Palmer Lake Liquor and Marijuana Licensing
Authority granted a liquor license to Matt Beck of BG Capital Group,
which is reopening The Villa restaurant at 75 Highway 105 as a
family Italian restaurant

• The council granted a business license to Dr.
Jason Golec of Southwest Mobile Chiropractic at 755 Highway 105,
Suite 2C-1

• The request to vacate a portion of Spring
Street was withdrawn

• The council began consideration of a
preliminary budget for 2018

**********

The two meetings for November will be at 6:30 p.m. on
Nov. 9 and 23 at Town Hall, 42 Valley Crescent. Meetings are normally
held on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. Information:
481-2953.

El Paso Board of County Commissioners, Oct. 3, 10, and
17:

Rezoning approved for outdoor RV, boat storage

By Helen Walklett

At its Oct. 10 meeting, the El Paso Board of County
Commissioners (BOCC) voted 3-1 to approve a rezoning application made by
Dave Hellbusch to allow the operation of an RV and boat storage yard on
his land north of Monument Lake Road and Mitchell Avenue. The BOCC also
made decisions in October relating to the Jackson Ranch and Settler
Ranch developments and to the Pikes Peak Brewing Co. premises on Lake
Woodmoor Drive.

Hellbusch rezoning

The request was to rezone a 3.75-acre parcel of land
currently zoned RR-5 (residential rural) to CS (commercial service) to
allow the operation of an RV and boat storage yard at the site. In 2013,
the BOCC approved a variance of use for the land to allow a small-engine
repair business to operate legally on the site. In 2016, a separate
variance of use request to allow the outdoor storage business to operate
legally was turned down by the BOCC after having been recommended for
approval by the county Planning Commission. The Planning Commission
heard the rezoning request at the beginning of September and recommended
denial amid concerns that a rezoning would also allow other uses that
might not be appropriate at the site. See article at
http://www.ocn.me/v17n10.htm#epcpc.

At the Oct. 10 meeting, Hellbusch addressed the
commissioners, saying, "I’ve been told over and over to be in compliance
and that’s what I’m trying to do." He stated that he had misunderstood
the process and had been mistaken to start up the storage business in
2016 before the variance of use request had been heard. He said, "I
learned my lesson and it’s [the site’s] empty." Project Manager/Planner
II Nina Ruiz of the Planning and Community Development Department
confirmed that the site had been cleared following issuance of a
violation notice, and that the applicant was now in full compliance with
the current zoning.

Duncan Bremer, attorney for the applicant, said that
historically the site had a commercial use and argued that it was
suitable for limited commercial use given the lack of a sewer connection
and the very restricted access. He stated that the proposed use would
have "virtually no adverse impacts." He detailed the county’s specific
screening requirements for outdoor storage and said that his client was
fully prepared to comply with all of them. Such requirements would be
agreed upon and set out in a site development plan.

The county had notified the two adjacent property
owners. Sue Huismann spoke in opposition to the request. Thomas
Pennewell, the owner of the three properties that surround the Hellbusch
property, had written a letter in favor of it.

Commissioner Longinos Gonzalez raised the Planning
Commission’s concerns that a rezoning would allow other uses. Ruiz
confirmed that this was correct but said that any further use would
require the applicant to go back to county for an additional site
development plan.

Commissioner Peggy Littleton stated that the only
reason she had voted against the variance in 2016 was because Hellbusch
had developed the property before the application had been heard. After
hearing that the site had been cleared and having seen the owner go
through the application process, she supported the rezoning application.

Commissioner Darryl Glenn said, "when you look at the
overall historic use of this property, it’s clearly more in line with
commercial zoning so I am not in a position where I am concerned."
Although sharing a lot of Commissioner Gonzalez’ concerns, Commissioner
Mark Waller thought that considering the circumstances, the rezoning was
the right thing to do.

The applicant now has 120 days from the date of the
BOCC decision to apply for and have approved a site development plan
demonstrating compliance with all development standards, including
landscaping.

More approvals

Other items unanimously approved by the
commissioners:

• Oct. 3—the appointment to the county Planning
Commission of Jane Dillon and Sharon Friedman. Their appointments
will run until Oct. 30, 2018. Dillon was previously a member of the
Planning Commission from 2009 to 2016 and was vice chair for four
years.

• Oct. 17—the first partial release of a letter
of credit for public improvements of Jackson Ranch Filing No. 2 for
$89,723 following completion and inspection of the public
improvements in this subdivision.

• Oct.17—the first partial release of a letter of
credit for grading and erosion control of Settlers Ranch Filing 2B
for $28,245 following completion and inspection of the improvements.

• Oct. 19—an application by Colorado Brewers
Group LLC (trading as Pikes Peak Brewing Co.) for a modification of
its premises on Lake Woodmoor Drive in Monument.

President Peter Bille noted that WIA board elections
are coming up in January. Three board positions are open. Those
interested in running can fill out a nomination form online at
https://www.woodmoor.org/wia-board-nomination/.
Once the nomination form has been submitted, a WIA staff member will
follow up. The deadline for nominations has been extended until Nov. 30.
Biographical information on candidates and ballots will be mailed in
December’s annual dues invoice.

The election will be held at the annual meeting Jan.
29. Secretary and Director of Community Outreach Jennifer Cunningham is
soliciting donations for door prizes from local companies for the annual
meeting.

Sharing event information

Vice President Brian Bush clarified that WIA may
choose to inform members of certain events at the Barn and in the
community via social media and the WIA website if they think the
information is relevant and may consider doing so if requested for
non-commercial events. Cunningham indicated that anyone wishing WIA to
inform the community about an event should email her at
DirCommunityOutreach@woodmoor.org and copy HOA administrator Denise
Cagliaro at denise@woodmoor.org.

Safe Routes to School grant letter

Members of the WIA board and staff have been meeting
with representatives from the Lewis-Palmer School District to discuss
the district’s application for a Safe Routes to School grant to fund 20
percent of the projected cost, not to exceed $44,845, of a trail that
would go around Lake Woodmoor. It would connect Lewis-Palmer Elementary
School and Lewis-Palmer Middle School, and end at the boundary to Palmer
Ridge High School. The grant application was submitted to the state on
Nov. 1 and the decision will be available in March 2018.

The district has asked WIA to partner with it on the
grant, which requires three things:

3. Maintaining the portion of the trail that is
east of Woodmoor Drive (the district would maintain the portion that
is west of Woodmoor Drive).

Bush said that the proposal has merit and shows that
the community is progressive. He asked for a motion to direct President
Bille to sign the letter of support for the proposal. The board
unanimously approved the motion.

2018 budget keeps same dues

Treasurer Lee Hanson noted that the board met the
previous week to put together the proposed 2018 budget, which was
approved by the board. Hanson stated that the budget is consistent with
2018 plans and includes keeping the annual dues at the same rate. The
budget was presented to the public in this Oct. 25 board meeting. Budget
statements, when available, can be found on the internet along with
other WIA financial information by scrolling to the bottom of
https://www.woodmoor.org/board-of-directors/.

Board report highlights

• Bush reiterated that the increased covenant
fines are not a revenue-generating activity for the board. The board
seeks compliance and has many ways to resolve covenant violations
that don’t involve fines, which are only used as a last measure.

• HOA administrator Cagliaro noted that the
document scanning project is making great strides through the
efforts of WIA staff member Amy Mast.

• Bears have become very active in preparing for
the winter; residents should not leave out trash cans, dog food, or
bird feeders.

• The recent edition of the Tribune noted that it
has been 40 years since voters approved the purchase of the Barn for
$100,000 by the Woodmoor Improvement Association.

**********

The WIA Board of Directors usually meets at 7 p.m. on
the fourth Wednesday of each month in the Barn at 1691 Woodmoor Drive,
Monument. The next meeting be on Nov. 15 due to the Thanksgiving
holiday.

October Weather Wrap

By Bill Kappel

October was a little warmer and drier than normal.
During the month, there were two periods of cool weather and moisture,
otherwise the rest of the month was mild and dry.

The month started with relatively cool weather and
lots of fog, lows clouds, drizzle, and rain showers. Highs were in the
upper 60s on the first, then mid-50s from the 2nd through the 4th. Drier
and warmer weather moved in for the next few days with upper 60s to low
70s from the 5th through the 8th. These temperatures were a good 15-20
degrees warmer than normal. Of course, this was ahead of some cooler air
and our first taste of winter.

An initial cold front moved in during the early
evening of the 8th, then a secondary push moved in around 11 p.m. This
produced some light flurries in the region before midnight with snow and
blowing snow filling in just after midnight. The snow continued through
the next afternoon before clear skies moved back in. Cold air stuck
around all day with the "high" falling to temperatures just above
freezing at midnight. Temperatures on the 9th were stuck in the 20s
around the region, making for a cold day, especially after the
previously warm weather. Anywhere from 1-3 inches of snow accumulated
around the region, and with the previously warm weather, much of this
turned to ice on the roads, causing some tough driving conditions.

Dry and mild conditions then quickly returned for the
next two weeks. Highs reached the mid-50s on the 10th, then mid-70s on
the 11th and 12th. Temperatures dropped slightly the next few day, with
low 70s for highs from the 13th through the 15th before warming again
from the 16th through the 20th. Temperatures cooled again slightly,
moving back to about normal levels with mid-50s to mid-60s from the 21st
to the 24th. One last day of warmth occurred on the 25th, as highs
reached near-record levels in the mid-70’s on the 25th.

The last week of the month saw a return to cooler and
unsettled conditions. A quick-moving cold front brought cooler
temperatures by the afternoon of the 26th and some light snow.
Temperatures were chilly the next day with lows starting in the single
digits and teens on the morning of the 27th. Temperatures warmed to near
50 on the 28th, then upper 60s on the 29th, before a final cold front
moved in during the evening of the 29th.

This last front brought some treacherous driving
conditions with it, as areas of freezing drizzle developed that evening
and continued into the morning of the 30th. Roads were covered in a
sheet of ice around the region, making the morning commute very
difficult. Light snow and flurries developed again that afternoon and
continued through the morning of the 31st. Temperatures stayed cool
through the afternoon, before sunshine returned just in time for
Halloween afternoon.

A look ahead

November is generally dry and cool around the region.
We usually get several light snowfalls interspersed with sunny skies.
Gusty winds commonly develop on a couple of days as the jet stream
becomes more active and more directly affects Colorado. Our first
sub-zero morning low temperatures occur during the month as well. High
temperatures average in the upper 40s early in the month to low 40s by
the end with overnight lows often dipping into the teens and single
digits.

October 2017 Weather Statistics

Average High 61.1° (+1.6°)

100-year return frequency value max 67.7° min
50.7°

Average Low 29.8° (+1.5°)

100-year return frequency value max 36.8° min
26.4°

Monthly Precipitation 0.41" (-1.32")

100-year return frequency value max 4.63" min
0.18"

Monthly Snowfall 4.1" (-6.9")

Highest Temperature 76° on the 11th

Lowest Temperature 14° on the 27th

Season to Date Snow 4.1" (-7.1")
(the snow season, October 1 to September 30)

Season to Date Precip. 0.41" (-1.32")
(the precip season, October 1 to September 30)

Heating Degree Days 584 (+6)

Cooling Degree Days 0 (0)

Bill Kappel is a meteorologist and Tri-Lakes resident.
He can be reached at billkappel@ocn.me.

Letters to Our Community

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in Letters to
Our Community should not be interpreted as the views of OCN even if the
letter writer is an OCN volunteer.

Support for schools

In regard to the misleading attack ad that appeared
in the October OCN, I can only say that we’re lucky we have any
teachers left in D38. I’m sick and tired of the vilification of
teachers. The lack of respect and support for teachers exhibited by many
people in this community is disgraceful.

D38 is moving in a liberal direction? I believe that,
like many educational institutions, D-38 encourages people to have open
minds. If that’s your definition of liberal, so be it. Whoever paid for
the publication of that screed obviously had enough money to buy a
half-page ad, but they are bankrupt morally and ethically. Since they
didn’t have the courage to attach their name to it, I can only assume a)
they never finished high school or had a bad high school experience; b)
they certainly have never been a teacher, or c) they’re just bitter and
resentful of anyone with a higher level of education.

I would like to see such critics do a teacher’s job
for just one week. I doubt they would last a day. Teaching is the most
noble of professions. Doctors and nurses may save lives, public safety
and military professionals may protect us, but you wouldn’t have people
in those professions without teachers now would you? Long ago someone
paid for my high school education. Ever since then I’ve considered it my
civic duty to pay for those coming up behind me, to provide them with
the best education possible. It’s my obligation. It’s the right thing to
do. It’s the responsible thing to do.

Bill Beagle

De Angelis for D38

It is an honor to run for the D38 school board and I
want to thank everyone, whether a supporter or not, for your engagement.

I am running as a father of two kids in D38 and as
someone who grew up in a family of 10 diverse learners. I believe public
schools are here to serve all students, and that we, as a community,
should lead this effort.

I am running as an Air Force Academy graduate and
former service member. I believe in integrity and living a life that
contributes to the greater good. As a community, we should model
collaborative behavior and show our children what it means to face
challenges with dignity and respect for others. I also stand by my
non-partisan pledge in service to the community above all else.

I am running as a leader with skills to continue our
excellence and to meet our future. I have worked in complex leadership
and business environments for 17 years as an Air Force officer, director
for Oracle, and as a senior executive at a technology firm where I have
grown our company’s profitability by 20 percent and grown overall
revenues in excess of $120 million. I understand governing, private
business, complex budgets, and working as a team towards excellence.

From this experience I developed the focus for my
campaign: 1. to create the best educational experience for all of our
kids; 2. to plan strategically for growth; 3. to promote civility; and
4. to protect our largest community investment—our schools.

I am grateful to the parents, teachers, and community
members who are passionate about our schools. We are Lewis-Palmer, a
District of Distinction. It is together that we will continue our
tradition of excellence. Let’s keep D38 great!

Tom De Angelis

De Angelis for School Board

The upcoming School Board election has brought about
a sense of division in our community, which is shameful. I have seen the
words conservative and liberal used as weapons against each other,
rather than understood as just a different way of looking at things. I
have seen candidates use their political affiliation to garner a voter
base, even though public education is not about politics. Our teachers
do not teach to Democrats or Republican children, they teach to
students.

I would rather look at the candidates’ experience and
vote on their ability to lead the community in collaborative efforts
toward maintaining the excellent school district we have here in D38. I
know Tom De Angelis has the experience to make sure D38 continues to
exceed any expectations, and that our students will continue to thrive.
As a former Air Force officer, he was selected the No. 1 officer in his
career field (out of 2,000 officers in the Air Force)—proof that he
understands how to lead people and bring them together. He is an
advocate for all schools, including Monument Academy, which has a
wonderful standing in this community.

Tom believes that integrity is everything. His wife,
Dr. Karin De Angelis, is also a former officer and teaches at the Air
Force Academy. While they are no longer on active duty, they continue to
live by the core values, and believe in character first. Tom has managed
multi- million-dollar projects for Oracle, and he understands
prioritizing dollars and making sure all schools are supported.

As a parent of two children in our district, he
supports and trusts teachers to make decisions based on the welfare of
all students. Long-term strategic planning is his forte, proven again
and again. We are undergoing significant growth in our district, and we
need to elect the candidate with proven experience to keep it great.

Joan Landrum

Between the Covers at Covered Treasures Bookstore

Fall into great books

By the staff at Covered Treasures

We just had one of our favorite activities of the
year, our annual bookseller’s trade show. We have the opportunity to
meet authors and publishers and talk about their new releases. It’s a
slice of heaven for us. We always come back with great books. Here is
just a sampling, and they make great gifts.

Harry Potter: A Journey through a History of Magic

By British Library (Arthur A. Levine Books) $19.99

Carefully curated by the British Library, this is an
unmissable journey for Harry Potter fans to explore the history of the
magic at the heart of J.K. Rowling’s stories. You will find previously
unseen material and illustrations from artist Jim Kay. Discover the
truth behind the origins of the Philosopher’s Stone, monstrous dragons,
and troublesome trolls; examine real-life wands and find out what
actually makes a mandrake scream; pore over remarkable pages from
daVinci’s notebook; and discover the oldest atlas of the night sky.

Turtles All the Way Down

By John Green (Dutton Books) $19.99

It all begins with a fugitive billionaire and the
promise of a cash reward. This is a story about lifelong friendship, the
intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction, and
tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily
existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine

By Mark Twain and Philip Stead (Doubleday Books for
Young Readers) $24.99

In 1879, Twain began a story for his daughters. He
jotted some notes, but never finished the tale. With only Twain’s
fragmentary script, Caldecott Medalists Philip and Erin Stead
(illustrator) imagine what might have been if Twain had fully realized
this work. Johnny meets a kind woman who gives him seeds that change his
fortune, allowing him to speak with animals and sending him on a quest
to rescue a stolen prince. In the face of a bullying tyrant king, Johnny
and his animal friends come to understand that generosity, empathy, and
quiet courage are gifts more precious in this world than power and gold.

Astronaut Scott Kelly: My Journey to the Stars

By Scott Kelly with Emily Easton (Crown Books for
Young Readers) $17.99

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly was the first to spend an
entire year in space. Discover his awe-inspiring journey in this
picture-book memoir that takes young readers from Kelly’s childhood as
an average student to his record-breaking year among the stars while in
command of the International Space Station. Scott and his brother, Mark,
were the first twin astronauts in history. This story of an ordinary boy
who grew up to do extraordinary things will inspire children and anyone
who has ever tried to defy the odds.

Love, Santa!

By Martha Brockenbrough (Arthur A. Levine Books)
$17.99

Year after year, a young girl writes to Santa and
Santa writes back. A heartwarming relationship develops until one year,
the girl writes to her mother instead. This transformative tale spins a
universal childhood experience into a story about love, giving, and the
spirit of Christmas.

Ghosts of Greenglass House

By Kate Milford (Clarion Books) $17.99

Bestselling author Milford welcomes readers back to
the irresistible world of Greenglass House, where 13-year-old Milo is,
once again, spending the winter holidays stuck in a house full of
strange guests who are not what they seem.

The Illustrated Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Azkaban

By J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine Books) $39.99

The third book of the Harry Potter series is now
beautifully reimagined in full color by award-winning artist Jim Kay.
During his third year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Harry Potter must confront the devious and dangerous wizard responsible
for his parents’ deaths.

Stop in, say hello, and browse through our new
selections. Choose some to enjoy yourself during these cool fall nights,
and find special gifts for the readers on your list. Until next month,
happy reading.

November Library Events:

Learn about hovercrafts in family program

By Harriet Halbig

Join us from 2:30 to 3:30 on Saturday, Nov. 11 for a
Family Fun program on hovercrafts. Representatives from Cool Science
will teach attendees about air pressure and how hovercrafts work by
helping you to build your own with a balloon and a CD.

The Lego Build Club will meet from 10 to 11:30 on
Saturday, Nov. 18. All ages are welcome and Legos are provided.

Teen programs

AfterMath is a free tutoring program for math
students of all ages. Come to the library on Mondays from 3:30 to 7 to
get help from experienced adult tutors. No appointment is necessary.
AfterMath is not held on days when the schools or library are closed.

Wednesdays are the days for intergenerational
knitting at the library. The program will be held on Nov. 8 and 15 from
3 to 4:30. Practice materials are provided, but you are encouraged to
bring your own current project. Some instruction provided for those new
to the craft.

November is National Novel Writing Month. Come to the
library from 1 to 4 on Nov. 5, 12, 19, 26, and 30 to write on your own
or with a friend. No reservation required.

The Monument Teen Creative Writing Group will meet
from 5 to 7:30 on Tuesday, Nov. 7. This group for ages 12 to 18 allows
you to meet with fellow writers, share ideas, do writing exercises, and
share snacks.

Closing out the 2017 All Pikes Peak Reads program,
Oregon Trail Game Night will be held Wednesday, Nov. 17 from 4 to 5. We
will play the original computer game and the new card game version. We
will discuss Under a Painted Sky, enjoy trail foods, and discuss
survival on the road west. There will be games, crafts, and food galore.

The Teen Arts and Crafts Studio will be held from 4
to 5:30 on Wednesday, Nov. 29. This month we will be making triskele
globes. Design your own triskele as a decoration, a gift, or an
ornament. Registration is required because supplies are limited. All
supplies will be provided.

Adult programs

See the above section for information about
intergenerational knitting groups and National Novel Writing Month
schedules.

The Second Thursday Craft for November is quilting.
Harriet is back this month to teach how to make needle cases and mug
rugs using English paper piecing and applique skills. Registration is
required and opens two weeks before the class. All supplies are
provided, but bring small scissors if you have them.

Jim Sawatzki will present his new film on the Palmer
Divide Christmas Star on Sunday, Nov. 12 from 2 to 3:15. The showing
will be followed by the question-and-answer session, and DVDs will be
available for purchase.

The Monumental Bookworms will meet on Tuesday, Nov.
14 from 7 to 8:30 to discuss Lost Lake by Sarah Addison. All
patrons are welcome to attend this new evening book club sponsored by
the Tri-Lakes Friends of the Library.

The Monumental Readers will meet from 10 to noon on
Friday, Nov. 17 to discuss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty
Smith. All patrons are welcome to attend this monthly book group.

Tom Pulford, head football coach and PE/Health
teacher at Palmer Ridge High School, will speak on positive coaching on
Tuesday, Nov. 21 from 6:15 to 8:45.

Palmer Lake Library events

The Palmer Lake Book Group meets at 9 a.m. on the
first Friday of each month. All patrons are welcome to attend. Please
call 481-2587 for the current selection.

The Family Fun Cool Science program on Saturday, Nov.
18 at 10:30 is Balloon Science. Watch us play with and even abuse some
balloons in the name of science.

Toddler Time in Palmer Lake is on Fridays at 10:30
and Story Time for preschoolers is on Wednesdays at 10:30.

All Pikes Peak Library facilities will close at 6
p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22 and remained closed on Nov. 23 in observance
of Thanksgiving.

Palmer Lake Historical Society,
Oct. 19:

Filmmaker focuses on scenery, trains

By Sigi Walker

On Oct. 19, an enthusiastic audience enjoyed a
potpourri of short videos by multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker
Rich Luckin. All the videos were filled with spectacular scenery and
trains. A number were not produced for commercial purposes. This was
true of the short film with which he opened the program. It features the
Utica (NY) Union Station, a beautifully restored 1914
classically-inspired Beaux Arts structure. Of interest were the massive
wooden benches that were once heated with steam from steam pipes and
vents. Today, Amtrak and the Adirondack Scenic Railroad as well as
intercity and local buses serve the station.

Another video featured Amtrak’s "Zephyr in Colorado"
as it traveled from Denver to Glenwood Springs. Surprisingly, some
videos were taken with his cell phone and then adapted to video format
with music and subtitles added. He pointed out that all the principles
of good photography apply when using a cell phone.

Scenery is the star in the 2008 GrandLuxe promotional
short video filmed in Montana for travel agents, along with the scenes
of the first-class dining service aboard that train. GrandLuxe was the
successor to the American Orient Express. The name was changed to
GrandLuxe following a lawsuit brought by the European Orient Express.
Unfortunately, GrandLuxe went out of business shortly after the promo
was completed. A place setting of GrandLuxe china was available for the
audience to inspect.

Luckin also showed an early Amtrak promotional as
well as clips from the film Amtrak: The First 40 Years (1971-2011),
which he produced for the 40th anniversary of Amtrak. He traveled all
over the United States for a month to make the film—at Amtrak’s expense.

Included in the potpourri was a longer film on the
history of Kansas City Union Station, showing the early days, the busy
station during World War II, the station’s decline, and its restoration.

Two short videos featured the Colorado Railroad
Museum in Golden, one of which was made using footage shot with a drone.
He explained the necessity of planning where and what to film when using
drones. He also mentioned that you have to take wind into consideration
because it will cause the drone to wobble.

**********

Mark your calendars for Thursday, Nov. 16, when the
Palmer Lake Historical Society will present the program The Star on
Sundance Mountain hosted by award-winning documentary filmmaker Jim
Sawatzki. The film tells the story of this uniquely Palmer Lake
institution that has become an iconic symbol of inspiration. The world’s
largest illuminated star, it can be seen for over 20 miles. Historical
Society events and programs are held in the Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28
Valley Crescent St. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; program begins at 7 p.m.
and is free and open to all. Visit
www.palmerdividehistory.org
for more information.

Above: GrandLuxe china, the last complete set
sold. Photo by Doris Baker.

Bird Watch on the Palmer Divide:

Owls

Article and illustrations by Elizabeth Hacker

October is a month when many minds turn to ghoulish fantasy.
Think Halloween, and what bird comes to mind? The owl, with its haunting yellow
eyes, is a bird steeped in superstition and legend. Today, owls often are
referred to as "wise and old." I’ve not tried the Colorado Springs restaurant,
"The Burrowing Owl," but I imagine it to be a cozy restaurant for "book worms."

Legend aside, owls are a predatory bird that silently hunt
their prey, mainly at night. Of the 19 species of owls in the United States, 13
are found in Colorado.

Owls vary in size from the great gray owl, 27 inches in
length, to the diminutive 5.5-inch elf owl. Female owls are larger than the
males. Owls have large rotating heads with facial discs and big, round eyes that
are fixed in their sockets so they can’t move, causing an owl to turn its neck
to look in different directions. The large discs on an owl’s face funnel sound
to its ears, located not in ear tufts but asymmetrically at the side of its
head.

Most owls swallow their prey whole and expel pellets of
undigested bone, feathers, and fur. The bigger the owl, the bigger the pellet.

Most bird feathers have sharp edges that emit a flapping
sound, but owl feathers are soft and muffle the sound of any air movement,
allowing owls to silently grab unsuspecting prey in their sharp talons.

Owls on the Divide

The three owls commonly found here are very different from
each other and vary in size, diet preferences, behavior, and habitat selection.
Included here are the great horned owl, the burrowing owl, and the barn owl.

Great horned owl

The great horned owl, large with yellow eyes and ear tufts,
is commonly found in woodlands of North America. In this region, it nests in a
variety of habitats including coniferous forest, grassland, and wetlands. While
it often nests in trees, it will also nest on high shelves in garden centers,
like Home Depot, where chicks are protected from predators like the red-tailed
hawk. Garden centers provide an easy and abundant source of food, and owls help
to control rodent and sparrow populations at these centers. Owl chicks are cute,
and people enjoy watching them. People will go to a garden center to watch as
the chicks develop, which can be an asset for a seasonal business.

Great horned owls mate for life but if one dies, the survivor
will pursue another mate. Females lay up to four eggs in early spring and sit on
them for 35 days while the male brings her food. After the chicks

hatch, the male and female take turns tending the nest and
hunting. Due to competition for food, it is rare to see more than two chicks
fledge a nest. Smaller chicks can’t compete with their larger siblings.

Once a fledgling leaves the nest, it stays near its parents
for several months learning survival and hunting skills. In late fall, it will
have learned to fend for itself and establish a new territory. The parents
separate into territories until the following spring, when they will reunite to
mate.

The great horned owls’ range on the Palmer Divide is
expanding and their numbers are increasing. According to the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology, the great horned owl is an opportunistic and adaptable bird that
nests in a greater variety of sites than any other bird in North America.

Burrowing owl

Burrowing owls are small migratory birds with long legs found
in dry, open grasslands and deserts. They fly en masse to arrive here mid-March
to mid-April. As the name implies, the burrowing owl makes its home underground
in abandoned holes excavated by animals like prairie dogs.

It nests in loose colonies. Females are the same size as
males. After she lays up to a dozen eggs, both she and her mate take turns
incubating the eggs and hunting for food. A male may mate with more than one
female and tend to several nests.

The burrowing owl is diurnal, meaning that it primarily hunts
during the day. Large insects, small rodents, amphibians, and reptiles make up
the burrowing owl diet, and to ensure a readily available food supply, prey is
stored in large underground caches. The burrow entrance is often lined with cow
dung to attract beetles that chicks can hunt without venturing too far.

Many of the eggs will hatch, and it’s truly amazing to watch
all these little heads pop up and down as they peer out from their burrows. Only
a few chicks will survive to adulthood. Interestingly, adults will mimic the
sound of a rattlesnake in an effort to scare away predators like coyotes.

Once commonly found in this area, burrowing owl populations
have dwindled due to habitat lost to development and extermination of the
prairie dog. The City of Colorado Springs has dedicated land for burrowing owls,
but there has been no effort that I am aware of to do so in northern El Paso
County.

Barn owl

The barn owl is an exceptionally beautiful and graceful bird
and is the only member of the family of Tytonidae. It is a medium-size owl with
a slender body and a heart-shaped face. Its large dark eyes contrast with the
white feathers on its face, and the tawny colored feathers on its side and back
are lighter than other owls.

The barn owls’ diet is restricted to mice and small rodents
and it is found only in areas where mice are abundant, like barns— thus the
name. It is also found in marshy areas where the protected Preble’s meadow
jumping mouse is also found.

Barn owls mate for life and when one dies, the remaining mate
might or might not seek another. The female builds a nest from the pellets she
expels while the male supplies her with a cache of food that might last up to a
month. Barn owls will defend a nesting location, but they do not establish or
defend a territory.

Unfortunately, the barn owl is not an adaptable species, and
sadly its numbers are declining due to a variety of factors including habitat
loss.

I’ve only scratched the surface of information available on
these owls, and every year new research provides even more information about
these amazing birds. The Nature and Rapture Center of Pueblo is open to the
public and often rescues owls. It’s well worth a visit.

Elizabeth Hacker is a writer and artist. Email her at
elizabethhacker@ocn.me to share bird pictures and stories.

High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG):

Ethnobiology: gorgeous natives, ancient olla water tech

By Janet Sellers

Want to live green all season—even on vacation? Olla (oh-yah)
is an ancient watering system for easy, consistent watering care used with
plants indoors or outdoors. An olla is a lidded terracotta water jug, a mini
water tower that seeps water into the soil and has been used for thousands of
years in Asia and the Americas. It saves lugging water to the garden and offers
consistent moisture underground. Usually filled once a week, and with good
mulching (using the plant’s natural canopy of leaves such as big squash leaves,
dried pine needles, leaves or gravel on the ground), the moisture stays in the
ground with the plant roots.

Olla keeps a consistent moisture in the under-surface soil
environment for healthy microbiological support of crops and ornamentals, and
benefits our surrounding forest habitat area as well, limiting the water loss we
experience with irrigation/evaporation issues. The olla sits idle when it rains,
as water is not drawn from its moist surface to the plants. A 2-gallon olla can
reach a 36-inch diameter garden bed area, so make sure the olla’s pot is a size
relative to the planter.

Potted plants can also use the olla system on a smaller scale
with good results, and it’s not limited to terracotta jugs. One can use a milk
jug, water bottle, or another container as long as it can be submerged into the
soil, with non-porous containers using tiny pinprick holes to let the water seep
out into the soil. Or, glue an upside-down terracotta pot to a snug-fitting
terracotta dish and bury it upside down; water fills the pot via the hole.

Let’s all plan now for spring garden success, and let’s fall
in love with native plants. Native grasses and flowers evolved to thrive in our
area and offer breathtaking beauty in all their growing cycles. Wild iris,
Mariposa lily, pasque flowers, and our show-stopping yucca plants are just a few
of our native beauties. Yucca flowers are edible, they say, and I heard one
gardener tout stuffing them with cheese and deep-frying them.

We need to respect our local habitat as we care for our
gardens. Bringing in non-native plants doesn’t always work out for the rest of
the ecosystem. Charlotte Reemts, vegetation ecologist of the Nature Conservancy,
explains that "insects, and sometimes other wildlife are unable to eat or breed
on introduced plants with the same success. Like any healthy food web, where you
find insects—like butterflies and moths—you will also find the species that feed
upon them, such as birds, mammals, and reptiles. Without native plants as the
primary food source, diversity in such a system can be drastically reduced."

Many plants used thoughtfully in terms of the forest clime
can do well and not ruin the forest habitat we so love in our region. Dry, rocky
soil-loving and new to me are the long-seasoned chocolate flower (yellow
daisy-like, smells chocolatey, edible), and cowboy’s delight, a
hollyhock-looking groundcover.

Janet Sellers is an avid lazy gardener (aka leave-it-natural)
and active ethnoecologist promoting the dynamic relationships between people,
biota, and environments from the cultures of the past and immediate present. She
can be reached at JanetSellers@ocn.me.

Art Matters:

Local art can warm your heart and home

By Janet Sellers

Cold days are upon us, and here are some ideas to warm your
heart right up. Did you know that making art can be a powerful mood elevator?
Mindless sketching and doodling are powerful friends for helping us focus. And
they are powerful friends to help balance our brain and relax as well.
Curiously, though, making art can also create short-term mood repair, regulate
mood, and more.

Many people have the blues in winter, and making some art
just might be a helpful activity. Humans have made art throughout their
existence, with no particular reason or motive other than it feels satisfying or
important to do because it is meaningful. Researchers in the field of
ethnoecology, which looks at the relationship between humans and the natural
world emphasizing the cognition, resource management, and actions people take to
reframe their world optimally, seem about to learn what the ancients (and
artists) always have known: that making art is vital to a meaningful, satisfying
life. I would further the idea that art is integral in how people manage to
thrive wherever they are.

A study in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity,
and the Arts found that "... in confronting sadness through art making,
distraction is more beneficial than venting." The researchers found that
distracting yourself by making unrelated art was far more effective than either
venting your feelings through art or just sitting in your sadness. (Other forms
of distraction might have this effect too.)

Lots of times, people won’t get started on their own but will
get going when with others if given the chance. People can enjoy a class or
group workshop to get them started and begin enjoying making art and lifting
their spirits. Art classes make for a gift of a lifetime, and anybody can set up
a month or two of art classes for the proven winter uplift effect.

Local art events

Join our local art scene this month for a fine art time and
bring a friend or your sweetie. The following places not only have art you can
bring home the same day but also offer a wish-list program so you can get just
the right artful gift and see the smiles grow big.

Janet Sellers is an award-winning artist, writer, and speaker.
She teaches art and creative writing in the studio and on location. Contact her
at janetsellers@ocn.me.

Snapshots of Our Community

Hands-on learning at the museum:

Caption:Sunny days and Questers volunteers
greeted the many visitors who enjoyed the sixth annual Reynolds Ranch Harvest
Festival hosted by the Western Museum of Mining and Industry (WMMI) on Oct. 7
and 8. WMMI works to preserve the history of the Colorado Springs area.
Thousands of artifacts throughout the exhibit helped visitors learn and
interpret mining and industrial technology, geology, and environmental concerns
of Colorado and the West. The original Reynolds home—a working farm, dairy farm,
ranch, and sawmill—occupied terrain that the U.S. Air Force Academy now
inhabits. The festival invited guests to ride a hay wagon, shop a farmers’
market, operate indoor and outdoor machinery, stroll through a pumpkin patch,
create crafts, witness Gold Canyon Gunfighters’ dramas, and peruse the farm
buildings and museum. Eliyah Houston, pictured, playfully panned for gold and
gems in the cool shade and gentle breeze of a Colorado afternoon. Caption and
photo by Jennifer Kaylor.

RMMA Concert, Sept. 30

Caption:
The Prometheus Piano Trio performed a Mozart
program at the first Rocky Mountain Music Alliance (RMMA) concert of the season
on Sept. 30. Pastry chef Guy Mendel prepared special treats for everyone who
attended. For information about future concerts, call Coleen Abeyta at 630-8165
or see www.rmmaonline.org. Photo by Barbara Taylor.

Empty Bowls fundraiser, Oct. 4

By David Futey

On Oct. 4, over 650 members of the Tri-Lakes community
supported the Empty Bowls fundraiser for Tri-Lakes Cares. Joe Dague, Tri-Lakes
Cares board chair, said the event is "our major fundraiser that enables us to
offer emergency support and reach out to the community to provide support to
those in need." He added that "although the economy has recovered there are
still many in need."

Wood turner Lou Greene said he and others, such as Dusty
Severn who organized potters, donate their works because they "believe in
Tri-Lakes Cares and its efforts in the community." Those efforts go toward
emergency, self-sufficiency, and relief programs.

With Monument Hill Kiwanis organizing it, over 40
organizations donated food and drinks along with a variety of items for the
Silent Auction.

On a somber note, the event honored Anne Shimek, who passed
away earlier this summer. Shimek co-founded Empty Bowls over 20 years ago and
supported it through her pottery and event organization. David Futey can be
contacted at davidfutey@ocn.me.

Caption: Monument Kiwanis Empty Bowls Co-chairs Bill Kaelin
and Dave Wittman flank Sharon Williams at a display for Empty Bowls co-founder
Anne Shimek. Shimek, who passed away this year, co-founded the Empty Bowls over
20 years ago as a fundraiser for Tri-Lakes Cares. Below: As part of
admission to the Empty Bowls, attendees could select a wood-turned or pottered
bowl. Photos by David Futey.

Palmer Lake Art Group (PLAG) Art and Craft Sale

Caption:
Palmer Lake Art Group held its annual Art and
Craft Sale the first weekend in October at Palmer Lake Town Hall. Here,
"Marjorie" shows her crafts of cuddly "Woolies" she has been making out of
repurposed sweaters for the event. The group’s annual sale supports scholarships
for local high school art students. Photo by Janet Sellers.

D38 Hall of Fame inductees

Caption:
Lewis-Palmer School District recognized four Hall
of Fame award recipients during its fifth annual ceremony on Oct. 7. From left
are Ida Liebert, Linda Wilson, Tommie Plank, Shauna Lambros, and Kevin Cassidy.
Cassidy and Lambros, son and daughter of Michael Cassidy, accepted the Special
Legacy Award for their father. The siblings expressed their gratitude and
proudly recounted memories of Michael Cassidy’s personal and professional
contributions to family and community. Lauded for her innovation, Hall of Fame
inductee Liebert, who served as principal for Kilmer and Prairie Winds
Elementary Schools, shared fun stories about the students she served. Former
district board Director Tommie Plank, recognized for her "focus, knowledge of
current educational issues, problem-solving ability and communication skills,"
thanked the community for its support that allowed students to thrive as
enrollment climbed. Wilson, a retired Palmer Lake Elementary School teacher,
engaged and inspired others to such a degree that she was voted "Most Memorable
Teacher" by Palmer Ridge High School graduates—twice. Caption and photo by
Jennifer Kaylor.

Fire recovery needs help

By Nancy Trosper and Lisa Hatfield

Although much progress has been made since the June 2013
Black Forest Fire, there is still much to do for recovery and proactive wildfire
risk reduction to help prevent another catastrophic forest fire, said Black
Forest Together’s (BFT) Eddie Bracken, who is board chair and an active
volunteer. He and Bill Mantia, Recovery Projects board director and another very
active volunteer, explained at BFT’s first-ever fundraiser, held Oct. 7, that
they need more help to cover operating expenses so that BFT can remain open and
continue to support the community.

The fire resulted in the loss of two lives, burned over
14,000 acres of the forest, destroyed 500 homes, and forced the evacuation of
38,000 residents. BFT, a grassroots 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, has led
cleanup and restoration efforts in the community since August 2013 and continues
organizing work projects to clean up more burned trees and do fire mitigation to
reduce the risk of another fire.

BFT has completed over 300 recovery, restoration, and
proactive fire mitigation projects, leading 40,000-plus hours of volunteer
labor, representing about $1 million of in-kind contributions back to the
community. BFT’s Resource Center and projects have been made possible by the
Pikes Peak Community Foundation, American Red Cross, El Pomar Foundation,
Mountain View Electric Association, Black Hills Energy, and many more local
organizations and private donors. BFT also received federal Community
Development Block Grant funding for temporary staffing of two paid positions to
assist the community, but funding for these positions ends in June 2018.

Mantia explained on Oct. 7, "There is no federal, state, or
county money. If we want help to keep clearing the damage, we have to do this
ourselves."

Interested individuals and organizations are encouraged to support BFT and
can find more information at their website
www.blackforesttogether.org or call
719-495-2445.

Caption: Eddie Bracken spoke to the audience at the 2017
Black Forest Together fundraiser, the first of its kind since the 2013 fire.
Photo by Nancy Trosper.

Shawn Colvin at TLCA

Caption: On Oct. 18, Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter
Shawn Colvin graced the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts (TLCA) stage in
celebration of the 20th anniversary release of her album A Few Small Repairs.
The album propelled her career in 1997, and this is her first major tour with a
full band since its release. In between opening with Tom Petty’s Wildflowers and
doing an encore that included a Beatles song, Colvin and her all-star band
performed each song from the album in order. They started with Sonny Came Home,
the song that epitomizes her artistic depth. Throughout the evening, Colvin
guided the audience by providing insight into the background inspiration of
certain songs and the process she uses in her songwriting (writing her lyrics in
longhand and making adjustments to follow the work in progress) while receiving
numerous standing ovations in return. Information on upcoming events at the TLCA
is at trilakesarts.org. Photo by David Futey.

Bumper Jacksons at TLCA

The Bumper Jacksons brought their American roots music to the
Tri-Lakes Center of the Arts stage on Oct. 23. Clarinetist, washboard player,
and vocalist Jess Eliot Myhre said band members "come from all different and
unique [backgrounds], New Orleans jazz, swing, hip-hop, country and together we
have developed our own sound." An example of the uniqueness in background is
guitarist and vocalist Chris Ousley. Ousley said "I started playing banjo at
square dances in western PA, met Jess with her New Orleans sound, starting
playing old-time tunes then gradually melded the other band members into the
sound." The result is a lively and refreshing sound that encompasses originals
such as I Like Bacon on Everything and covers like Dirt Road Blues by Bob Dylan
in their own style. Information on upcoming events at the TLCA is at
trilakesarts.org.

Caption: Jess Eliot Myhre and Chris Ousley are
two of the Bumper Jacksons quintet that performed at the Tri-Lakes Center for
the Arts. Photo by David Futey.

Palmer Lake .5K Fundraiser

Caption: The annual Awake Palmer Lake .5K (yes .5) was held
on Oct. 8. This fundraiser event for Awake Palmer Lake included 1,660 feet of
semi-cardio-workout along the west side of Rockin the Rails Park in Palmer Lake,
a "donut aid station" at the halfway point, and beer after the finish line.
Organizers said they wanted to help people start bulking up for the long winter
ahead while getting together for a good cause and actually get "a little"
exercise. See http://awakepalmerlake.org/. Photo by John Crouse.

Outpouring: Boomers’ Impact

By Lynn Weber

Kent Mathews from the Family Caregiver Support Center spoke
at Outpouring, the Tri-Lakes area’s version of TED Talks, on Oct. 17. Mathews’
presentation was titled "Evolution of Caregiving: The Boomer’s Impact."

Mathews said that most everyone will be a caregiver or need a
caregiver at some point in their life. Modern medicine often produces a living
death. Baby boomers will need help and care for longer periods of time. In 2010,
70 percent of those 80 or more years old had some kind of disability, with 55
percent having a severe disability. Today the 80s are considered the high-risk
years for aging. The oldest boomers begin to reach their 80s in the 2020s. All
the Boomers will enter their 80s from 2030 to 2050. The ratio of caregivers to
care receivers transitions from 7.5 to 1 in 2010 to 2.5 to 1 in 2050.

Being a caregiver has significant demands on one’s health,
finances, and time, Mathews said. Women experience more severe impacts since
they are more likely to be caregivers and are less likely to have adequate
resources. Currently, most caregivers perform medical/nursing tasks without any
preparation or training. Boomers are known for fighting the aging process.

All of this means more caregiving will be needed with fewer
resources unless we adjust for the boomer impact. Possible options are expanding
long-term care options, more paid caregivers, time banks, and increasing the use
of technology.

If you have concerns about caregiving or need help with your
caregiving situation, please contact Kent at 719-471-7080 ext. 115 or
kmathews@ppacg.org
for more information.

**********

The Outpouring speaker on Nov. 21 will be Irv Halter, who
will present "Current Population and Economic Trends in Colorado and Its Effects
on Rural and Small Communities." Halter is the executive director of the
Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) and a member of Gov. John
Hickenlooper’s Cabinet. DOLA supports communities throughout Colorado by
partnering with local governments and community service organizations. Halter is
responsible for a statewide team that annually distributes over $300 million
through grants and other funding programs that support community development and
affordable housing.

For more information on Outpouring and future programs, go to
http://tlumc.org/outreach. Outpouring is
sponsored by Tri-Lakes United Methodist Church and meets the third Tuesday of
each month in the Barrel Room at Pikes Peak Brewing Co.

Free pumpkins, Oct. 21

Caption: Despite the chilly winds Oct. 21, kids and their
families from the Tri-Lakes area descended upon the Free Pumpkin Event held at
the Tractor Supply Co. on Jackson Creek Parkway. Sponsored by the Tri-Lakes
Monument Fire Protection District, the event supplied visitors with a pumpkin, a
bit of candy and popcorn, a peak into a fire truck and police car, and an
opportunity to learn about the district’s ballot issue on the November election.
Caption by Jennifer Kaylor. Photo by Janet Sellers.

Kevin Swenson remembered

Caption:The flag is presented to Claudia Swenson, widow of
Kevin Swenson, as Kevin’s mother and sister look on at a memorial service on
Oct. 21. Kevin, the first police officer for the Town of Monument, was also the
first lifeguard for Monument Lake. He succumbed to cancer on Sept. 22 after a
four-year battle. Caption by John Howe. Photos by Sky Hall.

Trunk or Treat at St. Peter, Oct. 27

Caption:A safe Trunk or Treat event was held at St. Peter
Catholic Church on Oct. 27, on a chilly evening filled with happy costumed
revelers ready for candies and other treats. Participants decorated their
vehicles as Halloween booths while children of all ages enjoyed the goings on.
Photo by Janet Sellers.

Benet Hill Concert

Caption:
The sisters of Benet Hill Monastery hosted
violinist Jerilyn Jorgensen and pianist Cullan Bryant in the first in a series
of four chamber concerts. As part of Arts at Benet Hill Monastery, Jorgensen and
Cullan initiated the series by performing pieces from Mozart, Szymanowski,
Webern, and Grieg. The musicians possess impressive credentials and extensive
experience working with one another. Enhanced by natural light and acoustics of
the chapel, guests enjoyed an atmosphere of extraordinary music in a beautiful
and peaceful setting. The next concert in the series features Parish House
Baroque on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. For more information about Arts at
Benet Hill Monastery, go to www.benethillmonastery.org.
Caption and photo by
Jennifer Kaylor.

David Payne portrays C.S. Lewis

On Oct. 28, author C.S. Lewis was brought to life on the
Tri-Lakes Center of Arts stage through the captivating portrayal by British
actor David Payne. Payne wrote and has performed this one-man show over 700
times since 2001. The setup for the portrayal is the year 1963, the year Lewis
died, with Lewis hosting a group of American writers in his living room. Through
Payne’s portrayal, we learned of Lewis’s struggle with the acceptance of God
from "youthful atheism" until he concluded there was "some type of God." His
strong Christian faith greatly influenced his writings, as in the Narnia books.
During his 30 years of tutoring at Oxford, Lewis developed a friendship with
J.R.R. Tolkien. This relationship was such that they would read each other’s
manuscripts to offer feedback. We also learned about his late-in-life marriage
to American Joy Davidman and the impact of her untimely death. Photo by David Futey.

Creepy Crawl 5K at the YMCA

Caption: The Creepy Crawl 5k race fundraiser at Palmer
Lake, sponsored by the local YMCA and others, was held on Oct. 28 with a
costumed race for big kids, a slower "race" for walkers, and a special race for
kids on foot and in strollers. Costume prizes for funniest, scariest, etc. were
handed out along with pirate-themed treats. Photo by Janet Sellers.

Halloween decorations

Caption:
Reader Kelly Kline sent us these photos of
extensive Halloween decorations at a home in The Ridge at Misty Acres.

Our Community Notices

By Judy Barnes, Events Editor

Although we strive for accuracy in these listings, dates or
times are often changed after publication. Please double-check the time and
place of any event you wish to attend by calling the information number for that
event.

Ringers needed for handbell choir

High school and adult ringers are needed for a local
community choir or a church choir. For more information, contact Betty Jenik,
488-3853.

The Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) is a
federally funded program that provides cash assistance to help families and
individuals pay a portion of winter home heating costs. The eligibility period
for LEAP runs Nov. 1-April 30. Application packets will automatically be
mailed to residents who received LEAP assistance last year at the address where
they were living at that time. To find out if you qualify for LEAP, call 1-866
HEAT-HELP (1-866-432-8435) or visit www.colorado.gov/cdhs/leap.

MVEA essay contest, enter by Nov. 20

High school juniors can enter to win an all-expense paid trip
to Washington, D.C., for the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, or win a stay at
the Colorado Electric Education Institute’s Youth Leadership Camp in Clark,
Colo. Last year’s first place winner was Gavin Hornung from Palmer Ridge High
School. To enter, write a 500-word essay on the following topic: "What is the
difference between energy conservation and energy efficiency? Do you feel that
members should use one method over the other if they want to use less energy?"
Essays must be received by Nov. 20. For entry qualifications and to complete an
online entry form, visit www.mvea.coop/youth-programs.

Toy donations needed for Santa on Patrol

Santa on Patrol will team with the Monument Police
Department, Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District, and the Palmer Lake
Police Department to deliver toys and good cheer to many children in the
Tri-Lakes area in December. The date has not yet been announced. Santa and his
elves from the fire and police departments hope to deliver more than 1,000 toys
again this year. New, unwrapped toys and gift cards may be dropped off by
mid-December so there will be time to get them ready for delivery by Santa and
his elves. Please take them to the following locations: Monument Police
Department, 645 Beacon Lite Rd.; Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Stations 1, 2, and 3;
or Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Department administration offices, 16055 Old Forest
Point, Suite 103. For more information, contact Monument Police Chief Shirk,
481-3253.

MVEA Scholarships, enter by Jan. 16

Each year, MVEA awards $1,000 scholarships to 14 graduating
high school seniors. Applications are due by Jan. 16, 2018. For entry
qualifications and to complete an online entry form, visit
www.mvea.coop/youth-programs.

Monument text alerts

Text "Monument" to 41411 to receive updates and news of
meetings, weather alerts, openings and closings, as well as important town
information to your phone or personal mobile device.

The Tri-Lakes Monument Fire Protection District (TLMFPD)
received a grant of $365,798 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a
component of the Department of Homeland Security. TLMFPD will use the money for
state-of-the-art apparatus-mounted and hand-held radios.

Forest Lakes Metropolitan District (FLMD) seeks five Pinon
Pines residents to serve on a Citizens Advisory Council. The council will serve
as a forum for Pinon Pines residents to learn about district issues and to
advise FLMD on resident issues. If you are interested in serving on this
advisory council to FLMD, please contact your HOA administrator, Steve Emery of
Hammersmith Management, at 719-389-0700.

Residence vacation check

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office will conduct vacation
checks of homes in El Paso County for residents who are on vacation. This is a
great way to add security to your home when you’re away for multiple days.
Either a deputy or trained volunteer will visit your home while you’re away and
check it periodically. To add your home to their schedule, visit
www.epcsheriffsoffice.com. Info: 520-7151.

Volunteer weather observers needed

The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS)
is seeking volunteer weather observers in this area. The nationwide network is
made up of volunteers who help measure and record precipitation in their areas.
Volunteers are expected to purchase a rain gauge, which costs about $30. Learn
more and sign up on the network’s web page at www.cocorahs.org.

Monthly arts and crafts group forming

The Tri-Lakes Silver Alliance Senior Center is looking for
anyone interested in various types of arts and crafts such as needlework,
knitting, beading, coloring, or quilting. If you’re interested in any of these

activities or have a suggestion of your own, contact Sue,
464-6873.

Silver Alliance Thrift Store needs volunteers

Volunteers are needed for various tasks. The store is located
at 755 Highway 105, Suite N, in the West End Center and is open Monday through
Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. See ad on page 32. To volunteer, call 488-3495.

Free transportation and handyman services for seniors

Mountain Community Senior Services offers free transportation
and handyman services to Tri-Lakes seniors. If you need a ride to a medical
appointment, grocery shopping, or the local senior lunches, a volunteer driver
will be happy to help you. Call 488-0076 to leave a message for the dispatcher.
If you need grab bars in the bathroom, a ramp to your door, or repair of stairs
or railings, please call Cindy Rush, 488-0076, and leave a message or visit
www.coloradoseniorhelp.com.

Volunteer drivers needed for seniors’ transportation service

Mountain Community Transportation for Seniors is a nonprofit,
grant-funded organization that provides free transportation to Tri-Lakes seniors
60 years old and over. The program needs additional volunteer drivers. For
information, email MCSS at mcseniorservices@gmail.com or call the MCSS dispatch
hotline at 488-0076.

Senior Beat newsletter—subscribe for free

Each monthly Senior Beat newsletter is full of information
for local seniors, including the daily menu of the senior lunches offered
Mon.-Fri. at the Mountain Community Mennonite Church, 643 Highway 105, Palmer
Lake. It also contains the schedule of the classes and events for the month at
the Senior Citizens Center and senior-friendly library programs. To subscribe,
send an email with your name and mailing address to
SeniorBeat@TriLakesSeniors.org.
Senior Beat can also be viewed online at
www.TriLakesSeniors.org.

Our Community Calendar

By Judy Barnes, Community Calendar Editor

Although we strive for accuracy in these listings, dates or
times are often changed after publication. Please double-check the time and
place of any event you wish to attend by calling the info number for that event.

GOVERNMENTAL BODIES

Tri-Lakes Land Use Committee Meeting, Mon., Nov. 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 166 2nd St., Monument. Get involved: give input
on proposed developments in the Tri-Lakes area to influence the direction of
growth. All are welcome. Meets 1st Mon. each month. Info:
TriLakesluc@gmail.com.

Monument Hill Kiwanis Club Breakfast Meeting,
every Sat., 8 a.m., D-38 Administration Building, 146 Jefferson St.,
Monument. Guests are welcome to the weekly meetings that feature speakers on
a variety of topics and a free buffet breakfast. Join the 140+ men and women
of the Tri-Lakes area who work together on projects to support our
community. Info: Bob Hayes, 481-9693,
www.monumenthillkiwanis.org.

Bingo by the American Legion, every Sat.,
game sales start at 6 p.m., games start at 7 p.m., the Depot Restaurant, in
Palmer Lake. Proceeds go to scholarships and other community support
activities. Info: 481-8668,
www.americanlegiontrilakespost911.com/bingo.htm.

Watercolor Painting Demo, with art class
afterward, every Sat.-Sun., 3-5 p.m. For watercolor art for fun and
good health, join Janet Sellers and get free local scene coloring pages
while she demos at local cultural, coffee, and food spots. RSVP & Info:
janetsellers10@gmail.com, 357-7454.

Seniors: Tai Chi Classes, every Mon.,
11–noon, Senior Center at Lewis-Palmer High School (across from the YMCA).
This soft, slow, and gentle form of exercise has many benefits. Registration
required. $3 suggested donation. RSVP & Info: 464-6873.

Seniors Monday Movie Matinee, every Mon.,
1-4 p.m., Tri-Lakes Senior Center located on Lewis-Palmer High School
campus. Free movies and snacks. See the schedule of films in Tri-Lakes
Silver Alliance Senior Beat.

D-38 Home School Enrichment Academy, every Thu., 8:20 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Grace Best Education Center, 66 Jefferson
St., Monument. Use east entrance on Adams Street. A program designed to
support families of homeschooled students in kindergarten through 8th grade.
Info: ctanner@lewispalmer.org, or enroll online at
www.lewispalmer.org/domain/543.

VFW Auxiliary to Post 7829, Wed., Nov. 15,
7 p.m., The Country Club at Woodmoor, 18945 Pebble Beach Way, Monument. New
members welcome. If you are a male or female relative of a veteran who
served on foreign soil during war or other military action, you may be
eligible. Meets 3rd Wed. each month. Info: Kathy Carlson, 488-1902,
carlsonmkc@aol.com.

Senior Tea, Thu., Nov. 16, 12-1:30 p.m.,
Senior Center at Lewis-Palmer High School (across from the YMCA). Come early
to socialize, bring a side, salad, or dessert to share. Volunteers needed.
Now meets 3rd Thu. each month. Info: Sue, 464-6873.

Fibromyalgia Support Group, Tue., Nov. 21,
5 p.m., Police Station, 7850 Goddard (1 block off Academy on Kelly Johnson
near Chapel Hills Mall), Community Room just inside main entrance. A DVD
will play 5-6 p.m.; meeting starts at 6 p.m. Share concerns and success
stories and talk to a D.O. Learn how you can become pain-free. No charge, no
products sold. Meets 3rd Tue. each month. Info: 481-2230.

Chess Nuts, Tue., Nov. 28, 5-9 p.m.,
Tri-Lakes Senior Center, across the street from the YMCA. Any age, any
skill. Learners welcome. Drop in and leave when you want. Bring your own
board and pieces if you have them. Meets 2nd & 4th Tue. each month. Info:
www.TriLakesSeniors.org/chess.

Downtown Monument Holiday Open House, Fri.-Sat.,
Nov. 3-4. Begin your holiday shopping in Historic Downtown Monument!
Local merchants will welcome you with decorations, refreshments, and special
savings. Some businesses will also be open Sunday; check with individual
stores for hours.

Holiday Open House at Covered Treasures Bookstore
Book Signings, Sat., Nov. 4, noon-2 p.m., 105 Second Street,
Monument. Heather Slade will sign her new series as well as her other books.
Three titles from the Cowboys of Crested Butte Series have new covers and
content, fresh off the presses for this signing. Pulitzer Prize winning
author Dave Philipps will sign his book Wild Horse Country 1-3 p.m. Info:
481-2665, www.coveredtreasures.com.

D38 Deliberates: Community Engagement Opportunity,
Mon., Nov. 6, 6-8:30 p.m., D38 Administration Building, 146 Jefferson
St., Monument. Future options for 6th grade and use of the Grace Best
facility are the topics. All are invited to participate in small group
discussions led by a trained facilitator. See ad on page 5. Info:
info@lewispalmer.org.

Monument Academy Veterans’ Day Assembly: Honoring
All Who Have Served, Fri., Nov. 10, 9:45 a.m., 1150 Village Ridge
Point, Monument. All are invited to a tribute performance by students and a
keynote speaker. Continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. for veterans and active
duty along with one guest. RSVP by Nov. 6. See ad on page 17. RSVP & Info:
481-1950 ext. 1707.

Coverage to Care: How to Access the Right Healthcare
at the Right Time, Fri., Nov. 10, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Silver
Alliance Senior Center, across the street from the YMCA. Learn how and when
to access healthcare and preventive services. Presented by Penrose-St.Francis.
Refreshments will be served. Registration required. RSVP & Info: Sue,
484-6873.

Covered Treasures Bookstore Veteran’s Day Book
Signing, Sat., Nov. 11, noon-2 p.m. Sarah Bryn Rickman, author of
many World War II titles, will sign her books and chat about her passion for
women pilots of WWII. Info: 481-2665,
www.coveredtreasures.com.

Documentary Film Screening, Screenagers: growing up
in the digital age, Mon., Nov. 13, 5:30-8 p.m., Palmer Ridge High
School, 19255 Monument Hill Rd., Monument. Lewis-Palmer School District 38
will host this evening of dinner, games, the film, and discussion for 6th
graders and older with their parents/guardians. RSVP for this free event
here: https://impactflow.com/event/5170/checkout/tickets.

Annual Handbell Christmas Concert, Sat., Dec.
9, 7 p.m., Monument Community Presbyterian Church, 238 Third St.,
Monument. The Tri-Lakes Community Handbell Choir invites everyone to come
and enjoy a variety of holiday music presented by many community musicians.
Free; a free-will offering will be taken. Info: Betty Jenik, 488-3853.

Annual Palmer Lake Yule Log Hunt, Sun., Dec.
10, 1 p.m., Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent. Trek up the
mountain in search of the Yule Log. Hunt participants should arrive 11
a.m.-noon. The winner will ride the Yule Log back to town and get the first
cup of wassail. Non-hunters can stay warm indoors with carols and stories.
Info: 481-2953.

St. Peter Catholic Church: On This Christmas Night
Concert, Fri., Dec. 15, 7 p.m., 55 Jefferson, Monument. All are
welcome for an evening of holiday music. The event is free, however, a
free-will offering to benefit Tri-Lakes Cares will be accepted. Info:
www.Petertherock.org.

Our community calendar carries listings on a space-available basis for
Tri-Lakes events that are sponsored by local governmental entities and
not-for-profit organizations. We include events that are open to the general
public and are not religious or self-promotional in nature. If space is
available, complimentary calendar listings are included, when requested, for
events advertised in the current issue. To have your event listed at no charge
in Our Community Calendar, please call (719) 339-7831 or send the information to
calendar@ocn.me or P.O. Box 1742, Monument, Colorado 80132.